Waking the Dead
by latbfan
Summary: Follows Dead until Dark/True Blood Season One from Bill's POV. Possible spoilers through all the books. Story is abandoned. My apologies to my readers.
1. Chapter 1

Waking the Dead

First Night

If my heart still beat, it would've stopped when she turned and looked at me across the crowded bar. I'd been following her for weeks, so I shouldn't have been surprised when she smiled, something she did often, but it wasn't the forced mask she wore most of the time. She looked at me as if I were the only person in the world, and I wasn't expecting one of her real smiles. It was like looking at the sun for the first time in 143 years. Her cheeks flushed with blood, and I could smell her through the smoke and beer and grease and irritating garlic that can't be avoided in Louisiana, her blood a siren song of something rich and deep and sweet. I would find her in a lightless room filled with a thousand people.

"I think Merlotte's got its first vampire," she said to the shifter behind the bar. I tuned out the other noises, and I could hear her as easily as if she's been sitting next to me.

"I think you're right." He narrowed his eyes at me, and I knew he was testing my scent. I'd seen him around her house the past few weeks, but never in the form of a man.

"Can you believe it?" she gushed. "Right here in Bon Temps? I've been waiting for this to happen ever since they came out of the coffin two years ago!" She turned away from the bar and walked towards me. She licked her lips, just a flash of her pink tongue that made me shiver, and absently smoothed her hair.

"Hi," she said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "What… what can I get for you tonight?" She smiled at me still, and I had to remember why I was there while I willed my fangs to stay retracted.

"Do you have any of that synthetic bottled blood?" I asked.

"No, I'm so sorry. Sam ordered some a year ago, but no one ever ordered it, so it went bad. You're our first." She looked down and blushed again. She whispered the word, as if it might offend me. "Vampire."

I'd been around enough women to know I'm attractive, but I'd learned to blend into a crowd. I'd never known a human who could detect me. Of course, she wasn't simply a human.

"Am I that obvious?" I asked. She exhaled and looked away, and her scent washed over me. I fervently wished I had electricity at the old house. I needed to make more efforts with the contractors so I could buy my own TruBlood, not that drinking TruBlood would make me less thirsty for her.

"I knew the minute you walked in," she said. She looked around the crowded room. "I can't believe no one else seems to."

"He does," I said, nodding to the man behind the bar. Of course a shifter would know what I was. He nodded grudgingly back.

"Oh, don't worry about Sam," she said. "He's cool. I know for a fact he supports the Vampire Rights Amendment."

"How progressive of him." I wanted to bite my tongue for being ill-tempered with this girl. She didn't know it was her fault I was here against my wishes, and it wasn't her fault I was hungry.

For the first time, she seemed uncomfortable, and I wished I knew what she was thinking. She smiled nervously. "Is there anything else… you drink?"

It was my turn to smile. She didn't know anything. So many rumors, most of them started by vampires, had flooded the media the past two years; it was easy to see how the details of our existence were utterly foreign to her.

"Actually no," I told her. She stared into my eyes, as if she didn't believe, or didn't know, that I could glamour her. Most humans don't look that closely, even without knowing that we have the power to alter their minds. I felt the urge to reach over and pull her wrist to my nose, to feel her pulse against my lips. It was suddenly difficult to speak. "But you can get me a glass of red wine so I have a reason to be here."

She finally broke her gaze and wrote on her notepad, as if she wouldn't remember an order that simple. Once again she was in motion, shuffling her feet and looking around, and I wondered if she heard my desires in my thoughts. "Well, whatever the reason," she blushed. "I'm glad you are." I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"Don't mind Sookie none, mister," a nasal voice said from over my shoulder. "She's crazy as a bed-bug."

For the first time since she came to me, she looked confused and angry. "I'll just get your wine for you," she said in a strained voice, as if she might scream or cry or hit something. She glared at the man who spoke before turning and walking quickly away.

***

When I came home to Bon Temps, the dream of my wife's death returned. For most of the day, I sleep the sleep of the dead. I've always welcomed the dawn and my daily death, when my brain is forced to stop. Unlike most of my kind, I don't mind my body at its most vulnerable, the super strength and speed and senses dead to the world. It's a fair trade for not being able to ponder the thoughts of several lifetimes or wonder about the lifetimes to come or mourn the human life I never got to live.

When I was alive, I knew I dreamed more vividly than most people. My wife used to lie in my arms, early morning light filtering in our windows, fascinated by the retelling of my nightly visions. Even then, I had a way of remembering details. After my human death, I didn't share my dreams with anyone, although that didn't stop me from dreaming them. But it's not until the sun is beginning to set that my mind awakes. In the hour before my body can move, I feel the most human. Those emotions that refuse to be buried come alive to rule me as they did when I was a man.

For decades, day after day, I dreamed her death. Not her death as it was, when her body was old and frail and she looked to me like I was an angel sent to bring her heaven, but as it almost was at my hands. I was still young in my undead life, and I awoke every night thirsting for blood as I'd never felt hunger as a human. My new body was dead, but my senses were much more alive. To thirst was to feel pain I never could've imagined possible.

Each night, Lorena, my Maker, woke before me. She fed more often than she needed to, but when she was as satisfied as she ever could be, she'd find someone to bring back for me. In those days, with the War newly over and soldiers straggling home in their rags, I usually ended up with some poor man like me, who'd survived four years of hell only to die a few miles from home. I begged Lorena for evil-doers, for sinners and murderers and thieves. But when I awoke, shaking from blood-red dreams, I smelled my human victims. I heard the wet thump of their hearts pumping blood through veins, and I drank before I could think. I crushed bones in my rush; I ripped out throats. I choked on hot blood as it gushed into my mouth.

It was during those early weeks, when I was adrift on a sea of new sensations I didn't know how to process, that she took me home. I'd only fed once that night, and I was following Lorena, lost in my own thoughts, when we came upon her. My wife. My lovely wife. She rocked in a chair on our porch, a lamp lit at her feet. I knew she was waiting for me. But all this occurred to me later. At first, all I knew was the scent of blood, and I nearly struck. I stopped myself just in time by the oak tree near the porch, my fingers gauging holes in the trunk. I stopped breathing so I couldn't smell her, and I listened.

I heard her heart beating, and I heard our children stirring in their sleep in their beds. She hummed to herself, the click of needles as she sewed as clear as if I were standing next to her. She squinted into the distance at every sound. She whispered, "Oh Bill," as if she knew I was near. When I returned to Lorena's side, she licked blood tears from my cheeks and laughed.

It was that day when I first dreamed the dream that would haunt me for decades. It was my wife, and I held her in my arms as I longed to do, but they weren't the human arms I wanted. My new arms, strong, pale vampire arms, held her body. She was white and lifeless, her blood drained, and the dream took on all the details my new senses could provide. I could taste her in my mouth even as I wept. I licked her blood from my lips and roared into the night.

By the time I left Lorena, my brain had moved on to other dreams. But I never forgot it. I learned that I no longer forgot anything. Every moment of every night was within my power to recall. Even my human memories, remembered through the dim filter of human senses, were never forgotten. I couldn't forget things I wanted to never remember. And when I ended up lying incapacitated in a bar parking lot not five miles from home, once again I saw my wife.

***

There was no excuse for what happened, but I was thirsty. When the girl left to get the wine that I wasn't going to drink, two humans joined me. I could smell the drugs in their blood, and the woman carried the scents of three different men.

Over the years, I've seen just about everything humanity has to offer. Since the Revolution, I'd done my best to "mainstream," but TruBlood wasn't always enough. I no longer had to glamour unwilling victims. There were long lines of human who wanted to be blood donors. The fact that blood lust and other lusts are so closely tied to vampire instincts was not a deterrent; oddly, it seemed to be part of our appeal.

The woman leaned against me in the booth. She breathed on me. Her hands rubbed against her neck and down her chest. Her fingers lingered on her hardened nipples through her thin shirt. Like everyone else, these people wanted something from me. Maybe he wanted to watch me have sex with his wife. Maybe he wanted to join in. Maybe I would drink from him while I was having sex with her. The possibilities were endless and tedious, and I was hungry enough to not care when I left with them.

Sookie even tried to warn me. She came back to check on the table, and her eyes were suddenly wide and afraid. "Don't you go anywhere," she'd said. But when my body walked out of the bar with them, my mind stayed inside with the girl. That was my mistake. It was one of the first lessons Lorena taught me for self-preservation: no distractions. She used to laugh at my melancholy, at my absent stares. She said they would be the redeath of me.

If I'd been paying attention, I would've seen the signs. If I hadn't been so thirsty, I might've had a split second to react, and a split second would've been all I needed. But one moment we were walking towards their car, and I was listening intently to Sookie moving inside the bar. Then I felt the silver on my neck.

The pain from the chain was unbearable. I smelled my own flesh burning, and I tried to think of an escape as my mind grew weary and unfocused. The vision of my wife swam in my eyes, and I wanted to cry out for her to save me. And then the woman started draining my blood. Only Lorena had ever taken my blood, and it'd been years since we'd been intimate. Even without sex preceding it, even with the needle and rubber tubing, even with the chain burning my neck and the inevitability of my redeath and my thoughts of my wife, when the blood left my veins I felt aroused, and then I felt nothing but horror at the monster I was.

That was when I heard her. At first, I thought it was my wife, coming for me in my final death as I came for her, but it was Sookie, concentrated on the man who paced next to his wife as she knelt by me on the ground. He could only think of drinking my blood, so he wasn't listening for interruptions. They argued even as the woman switched to a new collection bag. That was when Sookie attacked. The man cursed as the heavy tow chain came down on his arm and pulled a knife. Sookie looked as surprised as anyone when she threw the chain and it wrapped itself around the man's neck. As he choked for air, she was quick enough to grab his dropped knife and turned it on the woman. This girl, barely more than a child really, even thought to keep them from taking the two pints of blood they'd drained.

All I saw was her face, those eyes showing only sympathy as she pulled the silver from my neck. The chain smoldered and stuck as she pulled it away from my skin. The relief was instantaneous. I wouldn't have believed it possible, but her eyes got even wider as she watched what must have been my wounds healing and my fangs retracting.

"Shut up," she whispered, staring at my neck. I would've blushed under her scrutiny if I could.

At that moment, I heard the squeal of tires, and I realized we were about to be run down by the drainers' car. In my weakened state, such an event would be painful. For Sookie, it would probably be fatal, but she didn't flee. She lifted under my arms and pulled me towards the trees.

"Push with your feet," she demanded. I did as she said, and the car swerved and missed my legs by inches. With her dragging and my pushing, I was soon leaned against the truck of a tree.

"Oh bless your heart," she said, leaning over to breathe with her hands on her knees. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here faster."

I stared at this breakable human girl and couldn't believe she spoke as if I were a child who required her protection.

"You'll be okay in a minute, right?" Her voice seemed uncertain, as if she didn't know what to do now that she'd saved me. I'd never been helped by a human before. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," I said. Her smile was instantaneous. There was a slight gap in between her front teeth, and I wanted to lick it. "They might come back, and I can't fight yet." She frowned.

At that moment, the damn shifter turned up. "Well hey there dog," she said affectionately. He barked at me in a non-threatening way, as if to make sure I knew he was watching. He leaned possessively into the girl, and she absently stroked his fur. His tongue quickly licked her cheek, just once, before he barked again and ran off into the woods.

"He's checking up on you," I said. I watched her closely to see if she knew it was her boss.

Her face was open and trusting. She smiled and said, "That's just some old dog that hangs around the bar sometimes. He must live nearby."

Humans spent so much of their lives willfully in the dark. "Oh no doubt," I said.

She leaned over, her hands reaching for my arm, and I instinctively pushed her away. I quickly realized that she was trying to remove the belt that the woman had put on my arm as a tourniquet, not hurt me, but she had already stepped away again.

"I reckon you're not too happy about being rescued by a woman," she said. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked even more like an indignant child. Her being female had nothing to do with my displeasure.

"Thank you," I said as I loosened the belt.

She stood back and shook her head before closing her eyes. It was an odd thing to do, especially with a hungry vampire two feet away. Not that her eyes could see me if I chose to move quickly, but still.

Her eyes flew open. "I can't hear you!"

"Thank you," I repeated, more loudly. I couldn't stop the edge from returning to my voice.

"No," she said as she bent down to take my face in her hands. They were soft and warm. Once again I was enveloped in her scent, and I tried to keep my fangs from sliding out. I forced myself to lean away from her, my head pressed against the trunk of the tree. "I can hear you, but I can't…" Her voice trailed off. I tried to look away, but she moved her face even closer to mine. She stared deeply into my eyes, and I wondered if she could glamour me. "Oh my stars." She looked surprised and uncertain and more than a little excited.

"Aren't you afraid to be out here alone with a hungry vampire?" My voice was low, and she was crouched so close to me that even in my weakened state I could be on her before she knew it. I wanted to kiss her, to taste her.

She took her hands from my face, but she didn't move away. "No," she said. I knew she meant it, too.

"You know, vampires often turn on those who trust them. We don't have human values like you."

"Humans turn on those who trust them, too," she said as she finally stood up and moved away from me. While I knew her words were true, I couldn't imagine what could've happened in her short life to make her seem so certain of that statement. "Besides," she continued as she pulled the silver chain from the drainers out of her pocket. She held it up for me to see, and I couldn't help but shudder. "I'm not a total fool." She wrapped the long chain twice around her neck and sat down on a nearby rock.

"Oh, but you have other very juicy arteries," I said. "There's one in the groin that's a particular favorite of mine." I couldn't help but look at her femoral artery, and I could feel myself harden at the thought of biting her there, how delicious it would be to have her female taste on my tongue and her hot blood in my mouth.

Sookie crossed her legs. "Listen here, mister. You might be a vampire, but when you talk to me you will talk to me like the lady that I am."

I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. She was so different from her cousin, Hadley, whose hungry look oozed desire. Most modern women used sex as a way to control men. Sookie looked fresh and unspoiled, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was possible that she was.

"Do you want to drink the blood they collected?" I asked.

She wrinkled her nose and answered immediately. "No."

"I understand it makes humans feel more healthy." My voice trailed off. "Improves their sex life…" I leered at her again, just to see what she'd say.

"I'm as healthy as a horse," she said. "And I haven't had sex, not to speak of." She blushed and quickly looked at the ground. I got the impression she hadn't meant to be so honest. "So you can just keep it."

"You could always sell it," I told her, even though I knew what she would say.

Her eyes found mine again, and she spoke without hesitation. "I wouldn't touch it."

I didn't try to move like a human when I approached. To her, I would be a blur, and then suddenly inches from her face. I closed my eyes, just for a moment, and lost myself in the smell of her breath. She didn't flinch. I leaned even closer, and I worried that I might not be able to stop from biting her. "What are you?"

"Well," she began, sounding nervous once more. She blushed, and I clinched my jaw shut at the smell of her blood rushing to the surface just inches from my lips. "I'm… I'm Sookie Stackhouse… And I'm a waitress." She didn't move away. "What's your name?"

"Bill."

"Bill?" She laughed. "Vampire Bill?" I rolled my eyes. "I thought it might be Antoine or Basal or… or Langford, maybe. But Bill?" I hated Anne Rice and her damned novels. "Oh my," she laughed again. "So…" She seemed reluctant to end our conversation, and I didn't like that this pleased me. "Silver, huh?" She gestured to the chain around her neck. "I thought that only affected werewolves."

I smiled at her, and I didn't know if she was kidding or if she knew about shifters.

"Not that I'm saying werewolves exist or anything, but that's what they always show in the movies."

Of course. Movies. I leaned closer to her again, and I looked her in the eyes. I focused on her and forced myself into her brain. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't share this information with anyone," I said in a smooth tone. "We don't like our weaknesses to be public knowledge."

"Oh," she said. I didn't hear the deadened tone that humans usually use when they've been glamoured, and her pupils didn't dilate. "Okay. Well," she said as she stood up and brushed off her bottom. I got to my feet, but too late to offer her my arm. "I'll see you around, Bill. I have to get back to work."

She walked towards the bar, removing the silver chain from her neck as she went. She didn't look back, although I caught myself hoping that she might. I couldn't help but admire the way her hips moved in her shorts. I usually missed the long dresses women used to wear, their soft mysteries hidden in those folds, but I could get used to watching Sookie walk in shorts…

I should've been more worried that I didn't think the glamour had worked, but instead I listened to her talk to the shifter outside the bar, not giving away anything that had happened. She was actually a bit sassy, which made me smile. The girl was fearless. After she went back inside, he growled across the parking lot at me, and I did something I hadn't done in years. I laughed. I threw my head back and looked at the stars. My mission, quite unexpectedly, no longer felt like a burden as I breathed in the wet Louisiana air. I glorified that I was finally home, and I felt more alive than I had in decades.

***

Several months earlier, when I woke up in Hong Kong, there was a message on my BlackBerry: "Bill Compton, this is Andre, calling on behalf of her majesty, Sophie-Anne, Queen of Louisiana. She requests your immediate presence. Your flight leaves Hong Kong International Airport this evening at 11:20, local time. A car will be waiting in New Orleans to bring you and your belongings to the palace." There was barely enough time to pack my single bag before the Anubis Air representative called up from the hotel lobby to collect my traveling case.

I couldn't refuse, not that Andre's message had left alternatives. As young as I was, living without a nest was dangerous. Lorena had sent me away from her 50 years before, and I never settled in with another group. The bond between maker and child is always strong, but we lived together for nearly 100 years after my human death, and we'd been lovers, including the night she sent me away. We'd fed on each other, deeply and regularly, so that the bond between us was unusually and unbearably strong. After we'd felt nothing but anger and resentment, hatred even, through the bond for years, she forced me away from her. To feel that way about one's bonded is to hate one's self, and she said, with blood-tears in her eyes, that she couldn't stand it any longer, that if I didn't leave, she would meet the dawn or force me to. I loved her even as I hated her. The relief I felt as soon as she told me to go was immense, and I also wanted to clutch her tiny body to mine and beg her to never leave. But she was my maker, and I couldn't defy her.

During the long flight to New Orleans, before I sought the safety of my travel case at dawn, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about Lorena. She could call me to her very easily through the bond, of course, but I still wondered if she were involved in this summons. The last I heard, she no longer lived in Louisiana, but Sophie-Anne was still her Queen. As much as I loathed vampire politics, and I didn't take kindly to being ordered around, I was surprised to admit I was looking forward to heading home.

"Bill," Sophie-Anne said to me when I was escorted into the private sitting room attached to her bedroom. I'd been around the palace on many occasions, and I wondered why we weren't in her official receiving room.

I bowed deeply. "Your majesty."

"It's been too long," she said.

Sophie-Anne was an exquisite woman. Turned over a thousand years ago when she was in her teens, her appearance was deceptively sweet and innocent. When I arrived, she was lounging in a silk robe on a sofa. Andre, her child, right hand, and personal body guard, was standing behind her, next to a very young vampire who still looked human. She was tall and too thin, the way women seem to be now. She had long dark hair and unnaturally straight teeth. She was wearing a black leather corset and a black leather skirt with a slit all the way up to her waist, which looked out of place amidst Sophie-Anne's soft pastels.

"Lorena was passing through not long ago," she said as she casually flipped through a stack of papers, but I saw her watching me closely.

"We haven't spoken in some time," I said.

"So I gathered. The last time I saw you, things were quite different with her."

I didn't answer.

"I haven't seen such devotion outside my bond with my own children," she continued. She looked up from her papers and stared at me. When I didn't respond, she continued. "And speaking of devoted children, I would like you to meet Hadley."

The Queen gestured to the young vampire, who visibly softened with her attentions. When Sophie-Anne held out a hand to her, Hadley ran with vampire speed across the room. She curled up on the floor at the Queen's side like a cat and began kissing her fingers. I couldn't help but glance quickly at Andre. It was well-known that he'd been Sophie-Anne's chosen and lover for hundreds of years, but Andre's face remained pleasantly blank.

"Hadley," the Queen said softly. The girl immediately stopped, but continued to hold onto her hand. Sophie-Anne gently stroked her hair.

"Bill, I've called you home for a special mission."

"A mission?"

"Yes, one that requires the utmost discretion. No one may know what you're doing."

"Yes, your majesty," I replied, but I was curious. There were many older, more powerful vampires in Louisiana.

"Hadley's family is from Bon Temps, Bill," the Queen said. I stopped breathing. "Perhaps you knew her ancestors? The Stackhouses?"

"That's interesting," I said, careful to keep my voice calm and even. I did remember the Stackhouses, good, simple, hard-working people. Their small farm was a few miles outside Bon Temps, just across the cemetery from my family's home.

"What's even more interesting is that Hadley tells me she has a cousin, who lives in Bon Temps, who has a special gift."

"A gift?"

"Hadley," the Queen said softly. "Why don't you continue." Sophie-Anne had a way of saying things that should've been questions, but they weren't.

"Yeah, well," this Hadley began. If she had gum, she would've snapped it, and I tried to keep the irritation out of my expression. "My little cousin? Sookie? My mom was her dad's sister? Well, she hears people's thoughts? Like right out of their heads? It's made her kind-of crazy, but it's for real?"

What I didn't understand about the modern age could've filled several books. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath I didn't need. It was several seconds before I spoke. "I don't understand."

"The last Compton living in Bon Temps died several months ago," the Queen said.

"I know that." While I hadn't been home in many years, I closely followed my living descendants. The internet made finding such information ridiculously simple.

"I expect the VRA to pass fairly quickly, in which case the ownership of the property in Bon Temps will revert back to you."

I paused again. "If I choose to claim it."

"Andre," the Queen said quietly. He was immediately at her side. "Why don't you and Hadley excuse yourselves while I speak with Bill. I'll be in momentarily."

Without a word, Hadley leapt up and practically skipped to a door on the other side of the room, Andre right behind her. The door was barely closed before I heard Hadley giggle, and then the sound of kissing and moaning and leather being ripped.

"Bill," she said, returning her attention to me after an indulgent look at the closed door. "Please." She gestured to a nearby chair and offered me a goblet of blood.

"No thank you, your majesty," I said. "I'll feed when we're finished.

"You must enjoy my feeding room during your stay," she said, leaning towards me. "The volunteers are carefully screened, of course."

"Of course."

"There are some excellent vintages in the group. But still, no reason to make this unpleasant." She pressed the goblet into my hands. I braced for the metallic tang of TruBlood, which was often difficult to choke down, but the blood was human. No trace of preservatives, it was still warm. She smiled at my surprise as I took a deeper drink.

"I want you to move back to Bon Temps," she told me. "The house, as I understand, is the one you lived in as a mortal. Your father had it built. I thought that might be nice for you."

"What will I do in Bon Temps?" I asked. I didn't tell her that living in Bon Temps would most definitely be the opposite of nice. While I thought of Bon Temps as my home, I had no desire to live in the house where I lived with my wife, where my children were born.

"You will investigate Hadley's cousin, this Sookie Stackhouse."

"Is she really a telepath?" While I believed anything was possible, I'd never known of a telepath.

"Hadley believes so," the Queen said. Of course, she would know through the bond if Hadley were lying. I heard louder moaning coming from the other room, and the Queen smiled as she looked towards the closed door. "But I require more information."

"Why send me, then, and not Hadley, if she's the girl's cousin?"

"Hadley's so young, so uncontrolled, and they haven't been close in some time," she said. "There were some… complications… within the family that caused distress for Hadley."

"I see."

"No, you don't," she said as she smiled at me. "But that's of no interest to me. What is of interest is this girl, and I see a perfect opportunity for you to move back under legitimate pretenses and investigate further."

"What do you want to know?"

"The extent of her powers. I've never known a telepath, and provided she doesn't read vampire minds, having one in my retinue would be most useful…" Her voice trailed off, and once again she smiled at me. "Discovering exactly what she can do would make you most useful as well."

"Your majesty?"

"Come, Bill, let's not be coy. I'm generous to those who are useful."

"Your majesty is most kind."

"Yes," she said. "But it's essential that no one know about her. Bon Temps is in Area Five, and I consider it a top priority to keep this information from Eric the Northman."

"Your majesty."

"You know my fondness for the Sheriff, don't you?" she asked. When I didn't answer, she continued. "You two have more in common than you might think. His maker was very much like Lorena." She smiled at me and took a tiny sip of blood. "If it hadn't already been done, when I became Queen, I would've staked him myself for what was done to him."

I took another drink so I didn't have to reply.

"I tell you this so you understand the importance of this mission. As fond of him as I am, he cannot know. Eric has always been too emotional. I'm continually surprised he's managed to survive for a millennium. He has a passion for women, and if he were to get involved…" She shook her head. "This situation cannot be more complicated than it already is…" Her voice trailed off. "And as for the girl, do what it takes. Seduce her, if you have to. I want you to remain here in the palace for as long as it takes to debrief Hadley, who will be fully cooperative in giving you as much information as she can. Once you're in Bon Temps and in contact with the girl, I expect you to keep Andre notified of any pertinent information. You will call his secure, private line directly, not the palace switchboard."

"Yes, your majesty."

She handed me a white business card. "I always liked you," she said. "Here's is Andre's number and the number for my human business manager. Please be sure to send all bills associated with necessary renovations to your home to him. He'll be expecting your call."

"You are too kind, your majesty." Sophie-Anne smiled at me as she took a delicate sip from her glass. Other vampires, usually males who were trying to marry her for her kingdom, thought she was too soft, too lenient, with her subjects. But anyone who thought Sophie-Anne soft did so at his peril. She knew that fear-driven loyalty was not loyalty at all. She ruled with absolute authority, but she rewarded efforts generously, and most served her not only out of devotion, but also love.

I loved her, but I unequivocally did not want to go home, and I had no intention of babysitting a human.

"Your majesty, while I am honored that you would choose me for such an important matter, I wonder if there would be another better suited."

"There isn't another vampire who could accomplish what I want the way you can, Bill." She paused briefly to listen to the sounds from her bedroom, a sweet and innocent smile on her face. I didn't make the mistake of interpreting her smile as good news on my behalf.

"Your majesty is too kind, but I've been at work on a project, one that might interest you."

She smiled at me. "Am I to understand your extensive travels have not been for pleasure?"

I took another drink before responding. It was unsettling that she knew how I'd spent my time. "Perhaps your majesty doesn't remember, but I have a knack for details."

She laughed quietly. "Yes, I remember Lorena being quite proud of your gift. She found it most useful."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I didn't. "In my human life, I enjoyed history, although I never had time to pursue it like I wanted to," I said. "Now, of course, my interest is in our history." Her eyes were locked on mine, and she gestured for me to continue. Although we were alone, my voice dropped to a whisper that would've been inaudible to humans. "I've traveled, seeking out as many of our kind as I can find. At first, I was merely curious, but as the years passed and I learned more, I started writing down information."

"What kind of information?"

"Makers. Children. Nests. Gifts. Weaknesses. Bonded humans. Memories of those who have perished and how. Myths of our origins. Wars with weres, shifters, and the fae." She gazed at me intently. "After a while, for convenience, I put the information into a computer format. I've included photographs and, when none are available, my own accurate drawings."

"A database?"

"Yes, your majesty."

She had a hungry glitter in her eyes. "How close are you to completing it?"

"Well, that's difficult to say," I began.

"Try," she said with another sweet and dangerous smile.

"Obviously, the work will never be complete. As we shift and move, as more of our kind are turned and perish, the information will constantly need to be updated. And some, well…" my voice trailed off. She gestured for me to continue. "Some of us would not like knowing such information was being compiled. I've been quite discrete as I've searched for this information."

She waved her hand in a dismissive way. "We must learn to adapt for our survival. That was the point of the Revolution, was it not." She took another sip of blood, and when she spoke, it was at a normal volume. "You are a man of many talents…" She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together in a very human gesture. "These humans in Bon Temps," she continued. "They're the only family my Hadley has."

"Humans? I thought it was just the one girl."

"Yes, but she has a brother. Hadley believes him to be of no interest, but I would like that confirmed. And there's her grandmother. These women mean much to my Hadley, which means they mean much to me."

"I understand." I worked to keep my expression calm, but I did not want to get involved with the human relations of the Queen's newest pet.

"I've given this matter much thought, and I chose you for a reason, Bill," she said. "My Hadley, despite her outward appearance, is quite fragile. You, of all vampires I know, have a certain human tenderness. Quite a rare quality in men, even more so among our kind. It's one of the things Lorena loves most about you, even as it drives her insane." At this, she laughed quietly. "And for your young age, you have an amazing ability to control yourself. You do not succumb to your senses or emotions… You have no child, is this correct?"

I paused before answering. "I do not."

"You have no bonded human?"

"No."

"But you are closely bonded to Lorena, correct?"

I felt myself stiffen at these personal questions.

"Please don't take offence," she said with great sincerity. "I need to know who could compromise you, and therefore compromise me."

I took my time in answering. "I haven't spoken with Lorena in nearly 50 years."

Sophie-Anne looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "That must be quite painful, to be separated from your bonded."

"It had to be done," I said.

She nodded. "Did you know she had a child before you?" My expression must have given away my surprise. "She had a similar relationship with him as she does with you. They weren't together as long, of course, only a few decades, but the connection was strong." She paused, but I didn't speak. "She staked him herself."

I gasped.

Sophie-Anne nodded. "Yes, it was quite terrible, as you can imagine. To lose one's bonded that way… She came to me immediately and went to ground. We tended to her for years as she recovered."

I thought I might be sick, and several minutes passed before she spoke again.

"Is the bond between you blocked?" she asked quietly.

"As much as it can be," I finally said, filing away the horror of Lorena staking her child for another time. "She probed a couple months after we parted, and again about ten years after that. Not official contact, I suspect just to make sure I was well."

Sophie-Anne nodded. "So you don't anticipate hearing from her anytime soon?"

"No."

"You understand my concern, don't you. For such a mission to be given to one bonded to someone such as her."

I nodded and held my breath before I answered. "Perhaps, your majesty, someone else…"

"No," she interrupted. "This must be you. You will handle it with the delicacy and sensitivity that I require. The human is not to be harmed, in anyway." She looked at me again, all sweetness gone from her expression.

"Yes, your majesty."

"And while I expect you to do what you must for the information I require and protect Miss Stackhouse if necessary, she _will not_ be yours." Her voice was dangerously soft. "Is that clear?"

"I understand."

"Excellent. In your free time, you will continue your work."

"Of course." I'd played my only card, and it wasn't enough.

"But you and I will speak of it again soon," she said. "I'll call Eric myself and tell him of your arrival in his area. It's inevitable that you will have to make contact eventually, but I would like that put off as long as possible. He demands service of all his area vampires, but I will have you excused, at least for the time being. I will tell him you're…" She smiled suggestively at me and raised a single eyebrow. "In my favor."

I cleared my throat and shifted in my chair. "Thank you, your majesty."

"Would you care to join us?" she asked, nodding towards the closed bedroom door, "As it's the story now?"

"No, thank you," I said.

She laughed as she stood. I quickly rose as well, bowing my head. "Of course you wouldn't. No wonder Lorena always wanted to keep you to herself." She walked at a human's pace towards the door. "I'll have a car ready to take you to Hadley's apartment just after dark tomorrow evening." She smiled again. "I find it convenient to have safe quarters outside the palace walls… Take as much time with her as you require, and the car is yours when your stay is complete." She dismissed me with her hand, set down her empty goblet, and walked into her darkened bedroom.

After stalling in New Orleans for over a week, talking with Hadley, shopping, and aimlessly wandering the streets I remembered so well, I couldn't put it off any longer, and I drove north to Bon Temps. It was nice to have my own car to drive again. I'd traveled light and swiftly during the previous fifty years. I had my traveling case for when necessary, but all my belongings fit easily into a watertight backpack, and most often I stripped and took to the ground during the day. I didn't need much: my laptop and notebook, a couple books to read, ipod, a change of clothes. At the bottom of my pack, in a small tin box, were the mementos of home that I carried during the war. My wedding ring, locks of my wife's and children's hair, the few letters that managed to find me while I was away. As I sped down the road in my new BMW, it felt good knowing I was going home.

My house rose on a small hill, surrounded by live oaks that were there when I was a boy. Some of the original land had been parceled off and sold over the years, but the house was almost the same. It'd been updated over the years, but not recently. The kitchen and bathrooms were antiquated, and turning on the lights caused a burning smell in the walls that made me wish I knew more about electricity. I immediately set about building a light-tight space for my daytime rest, and I put a large tub in the master bathroom upstairs, but I wasn't in much of a hurry for the rest. Living several lifetimes had taught me patience, and it felt good to go to Home Depot in Monroe and buy simple hand tools like I remembered using during my human life.

***

When Sookie went back to the bar, I sunk my fangs into the bags of my blood and sucked them dry, but I was still thirsty. With the scent of Sookie in my head, TruBlood was not going to cut it, as they say now. I didn't want the complications of finding a human in Bon Temps, and I didn't want to go to Eric's bar in Shreveport, so I ran home, got in the car, and sped towards Malcolm's nest in Monroe.

Dianne answered the door, her ample assets barely concealed in a red dress, and I couldn't help but feel shame. Lorena and I had come to visit Malcolm when she was a new vampire, just months old. Lorena saw instantly how Dianne lusted for me, and she ordered me to have sex with her. Lorena and Malcolm sat on a sofa near the bed, watching and directing as I took her. Lorena intended for me to punish Dianne, and she had Malcolm forbid Dianne from feeding on me. Even without the blood, even with me thrusting with enough force to shatter a human's pelvis, Dianne was pleasured. In a possessive rage, Lorena got more creative and cruel with her demands, and she made certain it took all night. As dawn approached, I was angry with Lorena and disgusted with myself, frustrated and spent, and Lorena pushed Dianne away and straddled me. Malcolm laughed when Lorena bite at the sensitive spot behind my ear, drawing hard on the wound as I roared with my release.

Lorena and I took to the ground that day, her arms wrapped around me as the approaching dawn made my spine tingle and eyelids heavy. "You are mine, William," she said, her lips on my throat. "Tell me that you are mine."

The dirt was cool and damp on my bare skin as I pulled her close to my side. I threw my leg over hers. "I am yours," I whispered as a single tear escaped.

"Tell me again."

"I am yours," I said. She bit gently at my neck, not enough to break the skin, and I growled.

"Tell me," she insisted.

"I am yours forever."

I shook away the memory of that night as Dianne leaned seductively in the doorway. While no magic prevented me from entering a vampire's home without invitation, decency did, so I waited.

"Bill," she purred.

"Good evening, Dianne," I said.

"For what do we owe this unexpected pleasure? We'd been under the impression, from your last visit, that we shouldn't expect to see you often."

"Yes, well," I began, not certain how much I wanted to reveal. "It's been an interesting night."

Dianne laughed and stood back, gesturing my inside with a single finger. I had to brush up against her to enter, and she leaned in and quickly nipped my earlobe. "Mmmm," she softly moaned.

"Now Dianne," Malcolm said from the living room. "Let's not do anything to offend our Bill's delicate sensibilities." He laughed at his own joke.

I nodded to him and sat when he gestured to a spot on the sofa. Their nest smelled of blood and sex and sweat. Everything was draped in clear plastic.

"What can we do for you, Bill?" Malcolm asked.

Dianne laughed. "It's obvious, isn't it?" She perched on the back of the sofa and draped herself over my shoulders. I resisted the urge to pull away or shudder or both. "He's hungry…" She ran her fingers softly through my hair. Even through my shame, it felt wonderful. I'd thought, when I was a human, that certain things felt good – my wife's naked skin against mine, a cool cloth on my sweaty brow at the end of good day's work, a swallow of wine, the soft weight of my newborn son in my arms. But nothing compared to vampire senses, and it'd been a long time since someone had touched me so gently. But just as I was beginning to relax, she pierced her bottom lip with both fangs, her blood oozing sluggishly in thick drops from the wounds.

I cleared my throat unnecessarily and sat up, pulling away from Dianne and gripping my knees. "I've had a difficult evening." My voice came out raggedly, and Malcolm laughed.

"What? No blood sacks in Hole-in-the-Wall?"

"I'm doing my best to mainstream," I said as I stared at the plastic over the plush carpeting. Instead of the smell of Dianne and the two human heartbeats on the second floor of the house, I thought about the floor in my new bathroom at home, the boards I was painstaking stripping and sanding and refinishing. I had put ambient heating coils into the floor before relaying the original wood, and getting out of the tub would feel warm on my feet.

"Trying, but not succeeding." He laughed again and held his hand out to Dianne. "That's enough." She reluctantly licked the blood from her lips and flopped next to him. He leaned against her and closed his eyes. "I find this most amusing. Maybe you should start one of those Anonymous groups." He and Dianne burst into fresh laughter. "Hi, I'm Bill," he said. "I'm a vampire…"

"Hi Bill," Dianne replied. They laughed again, pleased with themselves.

"How do you know about those things?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

Malcolm smiled. "It's delicious when creatures pretend to be something they aren't."

I growled, stood up, and walked towards the door. "You two have a pleasant evening," I said.

"Wait!" Dianne said.

Malcolm laughed. "Oh Bill! It was a joke."

The tires squealed as I left the driveway, and I ran several stop signs until I saw a 24-hour convenience store. I pulled in, and it hurt to walk at a brisk human pace to the cooler and pull out a 6-pack of O-Negative. Luckily there was a microwave.

As I gulped the contents, burning the back of my throat on a hot-spot, I tried not to think about how disgusting it was. That's when I noticed the clerk behind the counter. He stared at me with his mouth gaping open. I smiled, fangs down, knowing the synthetic blood still coated my teeth in a red film. He gasped and quickly turned away. I microwaved a second bottle, although I wouldn't drink it until I returned to the privacy of my car.

"Will…" the clerk gulped and stammered. "Will that be all?"

I considered glamouring him to do something foolish, but instead I put more money than necessary on the counter and left. I hated convenience stores. Grocery stores, too. Anywhere that sold food. The smells were overwhelming and often intolerable. The BMW engine purred to life, and I leaned back into the leather seat, turned on some music, and sipped at the second bottle. It was after midnight, and I had just enough time, if I drove quickly, to get home in time to watch Sookie come home.

As I drove, I thought about my savior. I'd spent the past month following her. I knew her habits well, and it was an odd life for someone as young and pretty as she. Sookie lived in the old Stackhouse home with her grandmother. Through the internet I learned that her parents had perished in a flash flood when she was a child, and her grandmother had raised her and her older brother, who was a despicable specimen of a human creature. Hadley's assessment was correct, and he possessed no special gifts, other than a singular talent for bedding just about every available woman in town, and some unavailable ones as well.

I'd broken into the old school to read her file. I knew that although she had high test scores, she'd had poor grades. The guidance counselor had suggested all forms of problems, and ultimately recommended a psychiatrist. She worked hard at her job, hadn't been late or called in sick, and she was unfailingly polite, even with people who treated her badly. The entire town seemed to be under the impression that she was insane, just as Hadley had said. While she was on friendly terms with the other employees at the bar, she didn't social with them outside of work. Most surprisingly, given her attractiveness and charm, no men had been by to see her, although her shifter boss, in dog form, often prowled around her house at night. On the nights she didn't work, she usually stayed in, reading or watching television with her grandmother.

I parked my car at the house and ran across the cemetery. Her car wasn't back yet, but I could hear its miserable little engine on Hummingbird Road, and then she turned onto the long, winding drive. I stayed hidden in the shadows and watched as she got out, a spring in her step that I'd never seen the end of a shift, and she skipped up the steps. I couldn't stop the low growl when I thought of her useless brother, how he was usually enjoying female conquests at this hour and could easily escort her safely home after work.

"Hi Gran!" she said after slipping off her shoes and hanging up her keys.

"Hi honey." Gran always sounded pleased, but never more so than when Sookie came home.

"You'll never guess what happened tonight!" She was bursting with her news, and I wished I could see her face as she spoke of me.

There was a significant pause as her grandmother obviously thought of guesses. "Oh! You got a date!" There was such hope in her voice that I cringed.

"Um, no," her tone abruptly changed to one of slight disgust and boredom, but the enthusiasm quickly returned. "A vampire came into the bar!"

"Did he have fangs?" Gran asked.

"Yeah, but most of the time they stayed put away."

"Did he bite anyone?"

She laughed. "No. He just had a glass of red wine… Well, he ordered it but he didn't drink it. I think he just wanted some company."

I shivered when she said that, thinking that she might be able to read vampire minds. I was afraid Sophie-Anne, as unusual a talent a telepath is and as much as she cared for Hadley, would have Sookie quickly killed if this were the case.

"Did you like him?" Gran asked.

"Well, he was real…" her voice trailed off. I leaned in closer and held my breath. "Interesting." I smiled when she used the same word I chose to describe our encounter. "I'll let you get to bed," she said. I heard her kiss her grandmother, and I closed my eyes and imagined what her lips would feel like on my skin.

"I was just waiting until you got home," Gran said.

"Come on, Tina," Sookie said, and I heard the cat pad softly after her.

I listened as she walked up the stairs. I could hear water in the bathroom, and I knew she was washing her face and brushing her teeth. When I heard her brush her hair, I thought of my wife, how I used to brush her hair. But I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds the girl was making, the whisper of cloth against her skin, the bed being turned down and pillows fluffed, the click as she switched off the lamp.

She sighed and turned often. Her heart was beating faster than usual. I wondered if she was thinking about the fight, or maybe worrying about the drainers' threats to kill her. When her breathing grew deep and regular, I settled back and opened the TruBlood I brought with me. It was even worse now that it was cool, and I closed my eyes and thought about the smell of Sookie's blood to distract me as I drank it as quickly as possible. I wouldn't normally have to drink that many, but the evening had taken its toll.

At one point, she was obviously having some kind of nightmare. She tossed and turned, her heart beating wildly as she gasped and then sat upright in bed. And then the shifter turned up. He growled at me again, and I growled right back. At some point, we'd have to discuss this situation when he could speak, but I was content to leave it for another night. Other than that, I sat outside her house, enjoying the night, until I felt the dawn approaching.

As I walked slowly home, I plotted again of possible ways to get inside her house. There was no way around the invitation, so either she or her grandmother would have to ask me in. I let the pleasant possibilities of what her sheets would smell like fill my head as I settled into my hole for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Second Night

For the first time in over a month, I didn't wake before I could move from my daytime stupor. There was no horrible vision of my wife's death to shake from my memory, just the pleasant awareness that it was dark and time to feed.

It's impossible to describe what it's like to someone who isn't vampire. All the things that felt good when I was a human, the tastiest food or the finest wine or the most powerful orgasm, were nothing compared to blood. My entire existence was made for the hunt, and the hunt ended gloriously with my fangs sunk into the hot, pulsing vein of a victim. TruBlood was a disgusting mockery of all that mattered to our kind; it was no wonder the debate went on for years before a decision was made to revel ourselves. There were many, Malcolm and his nest included, who preferred the anonymity of myth and the freedom to hunt as they always have, using and discarding humans as needed. Despite my best efforts, I had my own doubts about a diet of synthetic blood. While anything was possible in the short-term, forever is a long time.

I pulled a TruBlood from the cooler I kept in my resting place, and I thought of Sookie's smile as I gulped it cold and tried not to gag. I wanted to see her again, and I didn't want the temptation I felt last night. I knew her work rotation, so I was in no hurry as I heated water to carry up to my new tub. As I soaked, I checked messages and felt myself growl when there were no returned calls from contractors. While I could live just fine without modern conveniences, they were just that, convenient. I loved my long showers and soaks. I wanted to keep blood in the house, and I wanted to be able to choke it down at the right temperature. I wanted to plug in my computer and my stereo. Unbidden, the thought of keeping food in the house for Sookie briefly flitted across my mind. I saw yogurt containers and a pitcher of tea and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries sitting next to my TruBloods. I envisioned her biting into one of those berries, the pink juice dripping down her chin and flecks of chocolate clinging to her lips.

I shook my head and continued listening. There was a message from Dianne, "Come on, baby. Don't be mad. Call us," which I had no intention of doing, and there was a text from Andre, "Call."

I put down the phone and submerged my head. My mind wandered to swimming with my brother when we were boys. We'd use reeds from the banks and lay under the water to see who could last the longest.

Since I'd been home, memories have snuck up on me at unexpected times, and I found it disorienting. Cleaning out a closet, I came upon a book, _The Odyssey_, whose pages smelled like my wife. I found a ring I remember my mother wearing when I pulled up the floor in the bathroom. The dining table was the same one I sat at with my parents. One of the bed frames had been in my sister's room. It was to be expected, and I reminded myself often that these things didn't matter to me. They belonged to a world that was no longer mine.

Shaking those thoughts from my mind, I fixated on Sookie's lips and reached down to stroked myself. All my experiences from my human life paled in comparison to what I'd learned under Lorena's tutelage. Her lusts were insatiable, and she was a gifted instructor. I loved my wife, and when I was alive, I was faithful to her, but we'd married young. My father offered, as my wedding night approached, a slave woman who belonged to the Bellefleurs who could teach me bedroom skills, but I did not take kindly to his suggestion. He'd laughed at my indignant response, and there were times when I wondered if I should've followed his advice. But my human days had been long and full of hard-work. I often fell into bed exhausted and aching, content to feel her warmth beside me.

I loosened my grip despite my growing need, imagining it was Sookie's hand that touched me. She would be hesitant, inexperienced, and she wouldn't have the strength of a vampire, but her hand would be hot. I couldn't stop myself from moaning as I imagined her running her thumb over the tip, or the way I would feel inside her mouth.

***

"Andre, this is Bill Compton."

"Ah, just a moment." I listened to the soft sound of voices fade as he walked to somewhere private. "It's been several weeks. Her majesty thought we would've heard from you before now."

"Yes, well, I was researching the situation thoroughly before I engaged. We met last night."

"And what have you discovered?" Andre asked.

"All is as advertised," I said, cryptic in case the call was intercepted.

Andre audibly inhaled. "It is true, then?"

"From what I can tell, yes, but I need more time."

"For what?"

"To be absolutely sure," I said. I swallowed unnecessarily and worried about Andre's obvious desire to possess her. "And to discover limitations."

Andre laughed. "Thorough, indeed, her majesty will be most pleased to hear how well you're doing your job." There was an underlying threat in his tone. "You must keep us better informed."

"Of course," I said. "And there is another matter that has come to my attention."

"Yes."

"There are two drainers in town."

"Would you like me to notify the Sheriff?" Andre asked in a bored tone.

"Not at the moment. I'd like to try and handle things quietly. I don't want anything to adversely affect my mainstreaming efforts."

Andre snorted. "Your choice," he said, and then he hung up.

With that done, I put my phone in my jacket pocket and opened my laptop. I needed to look in on the drainers, not only for my safety but for Sookie's as well. It's amazingly easy to find information with a few keystrokes. Besides hot water heaters, computers were my favorite invention. I knew a lot of vampires didn't trust or understand the technology. Several "geeks" had been turned specifically for their skills. But I enjoyed learning new things. A few night courses out in California, and I was on my way. I'd met people, too, tinkering in their garages, and was able to make wise financial investments that paid off handsomely. In a pinch, I could always glamour someone and steal as much as I wanted, but even before the idea of mainstreaming popularized, I liked to keep things honest.

Their address and felony records committed to memory, I ran to Merlotte's. I hunched in the shadows for a few minutes, listening to what was going on inside. I knew the rotation, and Sookie was due to close tonight, so I didn't worry about her leaving anytime soon. Everyone was talking about a strangled girl, Maudette Pickens, and Sookie's idiot brother, who had been taken into police custody regarding the matter. The fact that the girl had fang marks seemed to be the most titillating topic, and I grew bored very quickly. Only a very old and very powerful vampire would be able to resist all that blood, and a body would only be wasted as a statement.

She was defending her brother when I walked in and like last night, she turned as if she sensed me. She flashed me her sunshine smile and started walking towards me.

"Good evening, Miss Stackhouse," I said, feeling oddly formal. I offered her my hand and, to my surprise, she sat and took it at once. I'd meant to simply help her to her chair, but once I had her warm skin in mine, I didn't want to let her go. I closed my fingers around her flesh, expecting her to pull away at any moment.

Sookie closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose, same as she did last night. I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but then she was looking right at me, her eyes familiar and warm, and she was smiling again.

"Your hand is cool," she said. She looked surprised, excited even, but not disgusted.

"Um, yes," I stammered, as if I were a boy. "I'm afraid I'm not as warm as the man you must be accustomed to."

"What men?" She looked away, and I thought for a moment that she was sad. She pulled her hand from mine and blushed. "What can I get for you tonight?"

I shook my head and, without thinking, leaned in closer to her. Her unusually sweet scent flooded my nostrils. "What are you?"

"I told you," she quickly said. "I'm a waitress."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "You're something more than that. Something more than human."

"I beg your pardon?" she laughed. For a moment, I thought she might even be flirting, and I wished my heart would beat just so I could feel it stop.

"Sookie," I crooned, my lips close to her ear. I said it slowly, feeling the syllables work their way around my lips and tongue. I wanted it to come out how I felt, like a caress. Her eyes widened, and I immediately smelled her arousal. I loved the smell of women in general, but her scent, like her blood, was exceptionally sweet and strong. "That's an unusual name, Sookie. Is it short for something else?"

"Nope," she said, gulping air as if she'd forgotten to breathe. "Just plain Sookie."

"May I call on you sometime?" I rushed out. I was more nervous than when I asked Caroline if I could call on her, and I tried to remind myself that I was just doing my duty for the Queen.

"Call on me?" she asked.

"Um. May I come visit with you at your home?"

"Sure," she quickly said, her eyes big and trusting. "My grandmother would love to meet you." I raised my eyebrows. Her grandmother? She thinks I want to come and visit with her grandmother? "Oh, that reminds me. Can I talk to you after work? I have a favor to ask you."

Of course she has a favor. Humans always want something. "Of course," I said, pulling back. "After all, I am in your debt."

"Not a favor for me" she rushed. "For my grandmother. If you'll be up?" I couldn't help but smile at her, and I was rewarded with one of hers in return. "Well, I guess you will be. Would you mind meeting around the back of the bar when I get off? Probably around 1:30?"

"I'd be delighted," I said, and I wanted to kick myself because it was actually true. I leaned towards her once more, breathing in a fresh wave of her scent. The shifter made a low, growling sound so quiet I was sure no humans could hear. "Do you realize that every person in this establishment is staring at us right now?"

"Oh," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "They're just staring at me because my brother's in some kind of trouble with the police." She looked thoughtful before continuing, "Bill, did you know Maudette Pickens?"

She was direct. I liked that. "I did not," I said. "They are staring at us because I am a vampire and you…" my voice trailed off as I looked down at her lips. "Are mortal."

"Well," she said with a mischievous grin, leaning in even closer. Her lips were an inch from my own, and I wanted more than anything to taste her. I concentrated instead on keeping my fangs retracted. "Who cares what they think?" She batted her eyelashes at me, and I felt my fingertips digging into the arms of the chair as I held myself back.

"I want to make this town my home," I said. "So I do." My self-control slipping, I abruptly stood. "I'll see you at 1:30."

I wasn't even out the door when my fangs slid out, and once I got outside, I rubbed my hands over my face to try and clear her scent from my nostrils. That was a mistake because I'd held her hand, so my skin was saturated with her. Before I realized what I was doing, I licked my own palm, sucking each finger into my mouth in turn. I wanted nothing more than to go back inside and sit and wait for her shift to be over. I wanted to watch her. I wanted to be the recipient of her smiles. I wanted to listen while she talked with the customers and colleagues. I wanted to know what she was thinking and how she felt and what she liked. I wanted to bury my nose in her neck and wrap her hair around my fingers and put my lips on my pulse.

_She will not be mine_, I told myself as I ran from the bar. _She will not be mine_, I told myself as I pushed to move even faster. It only took moments to get home, and I concentrated on gulping the wet night air as I sat on the porch steps.

"She will never, can never, be mine," I said out loud, and even though I didn't need to, I couldn't stop myself from sighing.

Shaking my head, I looked at my watch. I had four hours until I was meeting Sookie, and there was plenty I needed to do. I wasn't sure what she wanted to talk to me about or how long it would take, but I knew her grandmother always waited up for her, and that just wouldn't do.

Walking at a human's pace across the cemetery that separated my house from the old Stackhouse land, I tried to think of ways I could get the old woman to come out of the house without scaring her half to death. I smiled when I looked through the trees and saw her taking out a sack of garbage.

Before she could even see me, I'd moved across the open yard, made eye contact, and had her under my control. She smelled remarkably like Sookie, even through the general decline of old age, and I wondered again what Sookie could possibly be other than human and telepathic.

"Everything's fine," I said in soft, soothing voice. She smiled blankly at me. "Sookie is well. There's no need to wait up for her tonight. She's going to get home safely."

The woman nodded at me and took my hand in hers. I was so surprised at the affectionate gesture that I nearly lost my focus. Most humans are simply robotic when under my influence.

"You're going to go inside and lock up. You're going to bed. You'll have the deepest, most restful sleep you've ever had. You won't wake up when Sookie comes home, but that's okay because Sookie is just fine. You don't need to worry about her tonight." Mrs. Stackhouse continued to smile at me, and she rested her hand on my forearm the way women used to. "You never need to worry about Sookie when she's with me," I added on impulse. "Sookie will always be safe with me."

I slowly escorted her up the steps to the door. I considered prompting her to give me an invitation inside so I could investigate freely until I met Sookie, but I didn't want to force entrance into this woman's home. I held open the screen door for her, feeling the magical boundary that prevented me from crossing the threshold uninvited.

"Have a good night, Mrs. Stackhouse," I said once she was safely inside. I released her from my control and ran quickly back into the cover of the trees. I watched as she shook her head, looked towards the tree-line, and then close the door behind her. She left a light on for Sookie, but I listened as she toddled about in her bathroom, and then her bedroom.

While I walked home, it occurred to me that for the first time in over 50 years, I didn't know what to do with myself. I dismissed the idea of heading back to the bar early and watching while Sookie closed up. I needed to continue emptying the house of my decedents' personal effects, but I didn't want to get dusty. I didn't want to ruin my score by playing Wii distracted. I could always work on my database, which used to be such a source of pleasure, but I didn't want to do that either. I thought about driving to Monroe and finding a donor, but quickly decided against it. In the end, I lit a few candles, turned on some music, sat on the sofa, and closed my eyes.

***

When I woke up in the palace guest room my first night back in Louisiana, a palace guard was waiting to drive me to Hadley's apartment. She answered my knock wearing a tiny black lace camisole and even tinier lace panties.

"Oh! Um. Forgive me, Miss…" my voice trailed off as I looked above her head to the tiled roof.

Hadley waved her hand and opened the door wider. "Hadley."

"Hadley," I continued, still standing on the porch. "I'll come back at a more convenient time."

"Now's fine." She leaned further out the door, and a man in a passing car whistled from the street. "Where's Susan?"

"Excuse me?"

"Susan. I told the guard last night when he dropped me off to send her with you." That explained the girl in the pink dress sitting in my car when I arrived at the palace garage. "She's my favorite…"

"I told her that her presence wasn't necessary," I said.

Hadley rolled her eyes at me. "For real?" When I nodded, she added, "Whadaya do that for?"

"I have work to do."

Hadley shook her head and walked back inside. I followed her, closing the door behind me. "Bit of a dick, aren't you?" she said as she flopped onto the sofa. The room smelled strongly human, and I had no doubt Hadley had lived there before she was turned. "Are we calling for a donor?"

I walked into the small kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out two TruBloods. After heating them, I handed one to her.

"Gee, thanks Mr. Boy Scout," she muttered before gulping it. The newborn are always hungry. Despite the vile nature of the synthetic blood, her fangs slide down as she licked her lips. I could see why the Queen wasn't sending her to investigate her telepathic cousin. I handed her the second bottle, which she promptly gulped, before warming one for myself. "Did you smell her? She's intense, and instead, I'm drinking this shit." She waved the empty bottle at me. "You don't actually live on this, do you?"

"Shall we begin?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Sophie-Ann says I have to stay here with you until you're done, so let's get this show on the road." She stretched and leaned back on the cushions, exposing more of her skin.

"Would you like to get dressed while I set up?" I asked her.

She smiled at me coyly. "I'm comfortable." She trailed her fingers down her neck, lingering between her breasts, and pinched her nipples through the thin lace of her camisole. "Would you like to get comfortable?" She ran her tongue over her fangs.

"No, I would not." I sat down and turned on my laptop, setting the scanner and camera on the table.

Hadley huffed off to the bedroom and returned moments later wearing a black silk robe. "You are so not fun," she pouted.

"Oh I'm fun," I said as I popped out my fangs.

Hadley laughed. "Sure. Okay." She shook her head and flopped back onto the sofa. "So… What do you want to know?"

For the next two hours, Hadley talked, and I typed. I only spoke when prompting her or asking her to elaborate. It's so different interviewing the young; older vampires guard their secrets, especially their human memories. Hadley seemed eager to tell me her life story, to draw sketches of the town where she grew up, to tell me about her wayward human youth and running away from home, and how she ended up in the donor room of the palace.

"Sophie-Anne liked me. She said I tasted different than most humans. Sweeter," Hadley said. Once again, I consciously focused on the human scents in the apartment, and I knew that what she claimed was true. "Andre said I'm part fae, whatever that means…" Hadley shook her head. "Anyway, Sophie-Ann had me feed on Andre, and let me tell you, V from the source is way different than the alternative." She sighed. "And then I started sleeping in her bed during the day, next to her. She let me watch her and Andre together. She watched me with other people. I watched her feed on other humans. She gave me this apartment. Eventually, the whole story came out. When I told her everything, she cried."

Hadley paused, her gaze unfocused and far away. "I didn't know that vampires cried blood. When she cried, I licked her tears. And the next night, she asked me if I wanted to be with her forever." Hadley looked around. "And here I am."

"Please tell me about your cousin," I quietly asked.

Hadley chewed on her bottom lip in a human-like way. She looked very young and unsure of herself. "You aren't going to hurt her, are you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Sookie. Are you going to hurt her? Why is Sophie-Ann sending you to her? Are you going to claim her?"

"No."

"Would you tell me if you were?"

I sighed. "Probably not."

Hadley nodded. "Then why are you going?"

"I've been ordered to go by my Queen."

"Why you?" she asked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "If you're so worried about her, why did you share her secrets?"

Hadley looked away, but I saw the tears puddle in her eyes. "It wasn't like that. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," I said.

"It's like I'm not myself anymore," Hadley whispered. "When I'm with her, it's like I want to crawl inside her skin. Do you know what I mean?" I thought of sleeping with Lorena in my arms as Hadley wiped the tears from her face. She glanced down at her blood-streaked hand and shuddered. "Augh! It's disgusting. I'm disgusting. But when I'm with her, I just can't say no."

"It's the blood," I said.

"I know, asshole," she snarled at me, reaching for a tissue to wipe off her hand.

"Not your tears, I mean her blood."

She looked at me, her eyes bright. "I don't understand."

"This wasn't explained to you?" She shook her head, and I continued. "All new vampires are compelled to obey their Makers. They cannot disobey, even if what they're being asked to do is abhorrent to them. Even without a direct command, the Maker's blood in the new vampire will cloud their own judgment. You're new, Hadley. You'll find yourself doing things you couldn't possibly imagine yourself doing. While in the presence of your Maker, you will relish things that would otherwise horrify you. It's not until you're away and the bond is weakened that you'll question yourself."

"Is it always that way?" she asked so quietly a human would not have heard.

"No. The bond will weaken over time. Your blood, as it ages, will become more powerful and begin to assert itself. Most Makers eventually release their Children…"

She looked at me as my voice trailed off. "But?"

"The Queen is different," I said. "Her blood is different. It's her gift." I shook my head. "Like all things, it's both a gift and a curse."

"What do you mean?"

"The Queen cannot bond with a human. Her blood drives them mad. That's why she had Andre bond with you; she can't do it herself. As far as I know, she's never released a Child, and no Child has ever requested it. None of her Children have ever become a Maker, either. They love her, but it's more than that. It's obsessive."

Hadley nodded.

"She's addictive. Once you've fed on her, you keep wanting more. Yes?" Hadley nodded again. "Over the years, rather than growing weaker, her bonds grow stronger. Her Children become more desperate to be with her. You're the first Child she's made in hundreds of years."

She looked at me for several minutes before getting up and moving at vampire speed to the bedroom. She was back a second later, holding a tin Hello Kitty lunchbox. She back down on the sofa, and then she held the box out to me.

It reminded me painfully of my own box of human treasures that were in my bag on the floor by my feet. Inside were several nice pieces of jewelry that must've been gifts from Sophie-Ann, a lock of fine, dark hair, legal documents, a newspaper clipping of an obituary, and a handful of photographs. In one of the photos, a younger, human version of Hadley had her arm around a blond-haired girl and an older woman.

I held up the photo. "This is Sookie?" Hadley nodded. "And your grandmother?" Hadley nodded again. I scanned the photo into my computer.

"She's a good kid," Hadley eventually said. "She's had a rough time of it, you know? I don't want her to get hurt. Please."

"What makes you think I'll hurt her?"

She shook her head again. "I just don't want her mixed up in all this." She waved her hand around the apartment. "Andre scares me…" Her voice trailed off.

I put the things back into the lunchbox and handed it to Hadley. "Hadley, please look at me." When she did, I continued. "You need to go to a bank, one that's open at night, and you need to put these things where they're always safe." She held the little box to her chest, and I thought about how difficult it had been when I was newborn.

"You need to find your own money," I said. "And you need to invest it. Ask someone you trust, someone not at the palace, to help you if you don't know how to do it yourself."

"I don't need money," she said. "Sophie-Ann takes care of me."

"Yes, but she might not always," I said. "And the time may come when you don't wish to be part of her retinue. You need to secure your own source of income."

"Why?"

"Because you are vampire," I said. "You are no longer mortal. You will, potentially, live for hundreds and hundreds of years." Hadley flinched at my words. "Your human family will grow old and die. Your human friends will grow old and die. You are locked in time. Forever. You are no longer part of their world."

Hadley narrowed her eyes at me. "You really are a dick."

"You will be, too," I said. "You'll have to be, or it'll kill you."

Wandering around New Orleans the next few nights, I thought about Hadley, and I thought about her cousin who was now on a collision course with vampire politics. I found myself looking at the scanned photo of the little blond-haired girl too often, wondering how she would look now. I thought about Andre, and his cold, pleasant face that never betrayed his feelings, and I imagined they'd have her pressed into service for as long as her human life lasted if she turned out to be of value.

***

When I opened my eyes and looked at my watch, I didn't expect to see that it was already 1:35. "Dammit," I said out loud as I rushed upstairs to the bathroom mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair and wondered if I should change clothes. In the end, I decided to just take off my jacket and go, as I was already late.

I'd planned on driving, in case she wanted to go and speak somewhere over a beverage, as human are wont to do, but running would be faster, so I left my car and rushed back to Merlotte's. I was thinking about her lips blowing over a hot drink when I first smelled the blood.

Even from a distance, I knew it could only be Sookie's. The scent was mixed with dirt and adrenaline and the sweat of someone else, but I'd never smelled anything more intoxicating. When I arrived, I saw the drainers, both wearing steel-toed boots, standing over Sookie, whose blood was soaking into the dirt of the parking lot. The shifter was there, teeth bared and growling. The human man had a gun pointed at the dog, and I watched as Sookie reached over and tried to pull on the man's leg to stop him.

In the back of my mind, I was blaming myself for being late, and wondering how she'd found the strength to move, and why was she thinking of saving a stray dog, and what on earth the shifter was thinking by not showing up as a man with a gun.

I didn't want to lose complete control, in fear I'd drain her after I'd killed the humans, but I let myself feel the vampire overtake me. I was on the man in a moment, throwing him away from Sookie. His body smacked wetly against the trunk of a tree before falling to the ground with a thud. I heard his back break in several places, and he uttered "What the f…" before I snapped his neck.

I was moving too fast for the woman to see me, and I smelled her fear and her arousal at the power before her. "Show your face, freak," she shouted into the night. She turned around in a tight circle, not sure where I was, her breath coming in gasps and her heart racing. The blood always tasted so much better when it was pumping like that, and I was sorry I wasn't going to be draining her when I snapped her neck and threw her into the trees. She dropped to ground, already dead.

I raced to Sookie, smelling carefully and trying to evaluate the extent of her injuries. The shifter was still a dog, sniffing her broken body, when I stepped up. He bristled and growled at me.

"Fucking dog," I snarled as I carefully picked up Sookie. I immediately heard the distinctive sound that meant her boss was shifting back to human form.

"Sookie," he said softly, touching her cheek with his hand. "Oh Sookie." I had no doubt in that moment that the shifter loved her. "Put her down!"

"She's dying," I said.

"Let me…" he looked around, as if someone would magically appear who could help. "Let me…"

"Smell," I said as I began walking towards the woods. "That's spinal fluid. Her back is broken. Her skull is fractured. Listen." I stopped moving and closed my eyes as I heard the wet sound of her breathing. "Broken ribs, punctured lungs." I kept my eyes closed and listened to blood flooding her abdominal cavity. "She's bleeding internally. If you called an ambulance now, she wouldn't survive until it arrived."

"Where are you going?" he demanded as I started walking again, as fast as I dared to move her without jostling.

"I'm going to heal her," I said.

"No," he growled.

"Do you have a better alternative?" I snapped back. When he didn't respond, I snorted. "I thought not. Make yourself useful. Load up the bodies."

When I got to the bank of a small pond, I carefully set her down in the moss. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Sookie," I whispered.

"Bill," she managed to get out, blood seeping from her mouth as she spoke. "I can't feel my legs."

I rested her body against my knee, unbuttoned my cuff, and bit into my wrist.

"Quick. Drink. Before the wound closes," I begged her, holding my arm to her lips.

She pushed against my arm that supported her. "Will I be a vampire?" she asked. That she would rather die than be like me made me want to snap her neck myself.

"You won't be. Goddammit, do you want to live or not?" Once again, I pressed my wrist to her mouth.

"No," she said.

I forced my wrist again to her lips, and once the first drops went down her throat, she reached up with both hands and latched on. She sucked hard, swallowing whole mouthfuls. She moaned in her pleasure.

She was the first human who'd ever fed on my blood, and I felt it inside her. I closed my eyes as she drank, allowing the intimacy of the moment to wash over me. I gently stroked her hair, and I let her scent flood my head. I felt my arousal, inevitable with any blood-exchange, but it wasn't the painful, furious release I associated with Lorena feeding on me. It was warm and gentle and intense, and I felt her pleasure as she continued to feed, the bond between us strengthening, and I didn't know if she came first or if I did, but we were together as I'd never been with anyone in all my long life.

She shuddered, little after-shocks taking over her body, and I wanted nothing more than to lie down on the moss beside her and listen to her bones mending and tissues healing themselves. I gently pulled my wrist from her lips, groaning at absence of her heat on my skin, and laid her on the ground.

"How is she?" the shifter asked.

"Healing," I said. He nodded at me, blood from the dead humans smeared on his naked body. "I need you to shift back and watch over her. I think I'll be back before she wakes, but just in case, I do not want her to be alone."

He narrowed his eyes at me. Without a word, he shifted back to the familiar dog and snuggled up to her side. He rested his head on his paws.

I rushed back to the parking lot, pleased to see that he had not only loaded the bodies into the back of his truck, but he'd also spread fresh dirt over the blood stains on the ground. I didn't want to feed on the drainers, but Sookie had taken a lot from me, and I was hungry. I fed from both of them, careful to leave enough blood so they wouldn't appear drained.

Sam had left the keys in the ignition, and his old truck roared to life. Grateful that I had looked up their information, I drove on the dark, quiet roads to their home. It was an old trailer at a crossroads in the woods. Fortunately, seclusion suited their illegal activities, and there was no one to see me as I uprooted trees, snapped the power line, and strewn belongings around, finally tipping the trailer itself on top of the bodies, hearing the satisfying crunch as they were crushed under the weight.

When I got back to pond, Sookie was still asleep. "Go," I told the dog. He didn't move. "Go," I growled. He stood up and once again bristled. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the bar, but I heard when he stopped and dropped into the bushes within earshot. "Suit yourself," I said.

I ignored the dog and turned my full attention to Sookie. She looked beautiful, and she sounded and smelled as she always did. I closed my eyes, and I marveled at the feel of my blood in her veins. I felt her sleep, and I even tasted the flavor of her dream, something dark and warm and safe. Before I could stop myself, my tongue darted out and licked the blood drying on her bottom lip.

It was like nothing I'd ever tasted. Part of it was the sweetness of the fae that I associated with her scent and the scent of her grandmother, but there was more to it than that.

I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth and felt my fangs slide down. Once again, I felt myself harden and strain uncomfortably against my slacks, and I couldn't stop from pressing against her thigh as I took her top lip into my mouth. I licked her lips, her chin, her nose. I licked my way down to where the blood had pooled by her collar bones, and I rubbed my nose against the beat of her heart in her neck.

I could feel in the bond that she was pleasured, and her arousal only spurned me on. I moved up to her forehead and buried my nose in her hair. The fracture in her skull was still healing, and the blood that oozed out was fresh. I lapped at it, sucking her soft skin into my mouth. I wanted to rub myself all over her, to press her to my body, to take her right there by the water under the stars.

I felt it immediately when she woke up. One second she was asleep, and then her eyes were open, staring up at me as I licked the blood from her head. I pulled back and licked my lips.

"Do I taste different from other people?" she asked.

"Jesus," I muttered, finding it difficult to believe that was her first question given the situation. "Yes. What are you?"

"Well, apparently, I'm not dead," she said. "What I am is telepathic. I can hear people's thoughts."

"Even mine?"

"No. That's why I like you so much. I can't hear you at all. You have no idea how peaceful it is after a lifetime of blah blah blah." I watched as the wound in her head closed. She smiled at me and began stretching. I helped her move to sitting positing, her back resting against the trunk of a tree. My finger gently stroked her cheek, and she stared at me with wide eyes.

"May I ask you a personal question?" I finally said.

"Bill, you were just licking blood out of my head. I don't think it gets more personal than that."

She shook her head and smiled, and once again I was surprised at how casually she was taking it all. She'd met me, her first vampire, just last night. She'd saved me. Tonight she was nearly killed, drank several pints of vampire blood, and was calmly accepting that she woke up to my licking her blood.

"How do you manage a social life… with men you own age?" I tried to think of a delicate way of wording it. "Their only thought must be…"

"I don't date."

"Ever?" For someone so young and so pretty, even with the difficulties, I couldn't believe no one had asked her out.

"Well, I've been on a few dates…" Her eyes looked away, and I felt her sadness and anger, but then she pushed them down and smiled. "Not every guy was a pig," she said after a moment. "But it always ends up the same."

"There must be some people who know about your talent?"

"The people closest to me, but we never talk about it. And I do my best to stay out of their heads. Over the years, I've learned how. I figure it's kind-of unethical to listen in on my family, my friends… My boss." I did not like that the shifter earned his own designation. "But they know. Other people suspect, or they think I'm psychic. Most people just think I'm crazy."

"What does it sound like," I asked.

"It's sort of like a… stream of consciousness," she said. "It gets weird if people are mad or upset. Sometimes…" her voice trailed off. "Sometimes it's just images."

I shifted my weight and leaned in closer to her. Once again, her mouth was inches from mine, and I wanted to memorize her, the shape of her face, the way the moon danced off the water and her hair. I felt my blood stirring inside her, and I felt her desire for me to kiss her.

"I should be getting home" she said, breaking the spell. She looked confused, and then tested out all her limbs. "Wow," she said, as if she just noticed she was whole. "I feel completely healed."

"You are."

"Do doctors know V-juice can do this?"

"No, and we want to keep it that way." She looked deeply into my eyes, and I sighed before saying, "I should show you to your car." I stood up and offered her my hand, which she took without hesitation. She bounced to her feet and breathed deeply.

We were quiet as we walked through the woods towards the bar. I reached over and guided her elbow over various tree roots and branches, but I knew she wouldn't trip. I just wanted an excuse, any excuse, to touch her. When I felt her heat under my fingers, her own anticipation buzzed within the bond, and I felt her excitement as well as my own. It was as addictive as her scent or her smiles.

"How old are you?" she asked when we reached the lit parking lot. "Am I allowed to ask that?"

"I was made vampire in 1865, when I was 30 human years old."

"Wow, you look older than that.  
"Life was harder then," I said softly.

"Were you in the Civil War?"

"I was."

"Would you be willing to come and talk to my grandmother's club? It's mostly a bunch of old people who had family in the war. They call themselves the Descendants of the Glorious Dead."

"The glorious dead?" I stopped walking and looked at her. "There's nothing glorious about dying in a war." My voice was short, and I didn't want to be angry with her. I felt her uncertainty along with my own painful memories. "A bunch of starving, freezing boys killing each other so the rich people can stay rich? Madness."

"I'm sure it was awful."

There was a long pause while I considered what she was asking me. This was the favor for her grandmother. She wasn't asking me for blood or sex or money or a revenge killing. She wanted me to give a lecture to her grandmother's friends. I sighed. "Would it make you happy if I did this?"

She smiled. "It'd made my grandmother ecstatic."

"Would it make you happy?"

"Well…" She looked at me, and tilted her head flirtatiously. "Yes," she said, drawing out the word. She blushed and fumbled with her car keys.

"I'll do it then," I quickly said, thinking I'd do anything for her pleasure. She turned suddenly, her hair loose and sending out waves of fragrance as it moved. "I look forward to meeting your grandmother. When may I call on you?"

"I'm off work tomorrow."

"Just after dark then," I said.

She turned back to her car, and I hesitated for a split second, considering pulling her into my arms. I wanted to grind against her back so she could feel her effect on me. I wanted to run my fingers along her bare arms. I wanted to turn her to face me and hold her cheeks between my hands and kiss her as I knew she'd never been kissed.

"Oh look," she said. "Sam's still up."

Damn shifter, I thought as I rushed away from her. I assume she turned around to look for me, but I moved too quickly for her to see. I ran to her house, beating her there by several minutes. I climbed into the tree nearest the house and rested on a branch near the top and listened to her little car driving down the road.

It was after 3:00, and no one else was around. She pulled into the yard, and I watched as she looked down at her ripped and bloodied clothes. I raised my eyes to the stars and thanked whatever made me guarantee that her grandmother had gone to bed. Sookie peered into the window and realized that her grandmother wasn't waiting up, worried that she was so late. I felt her relief as she took off her shoes on the porch and tip-toed into the house.

She was back out sooner than I expected, dressed in only an over-large t-shirt. She ran through the dewy grass in her bare feet, dug a hole, and buried her ruined clothing. Her task done, I felt her delight as my blood heightened her senses. I thought back to my first nights as a vampire when, even through my anguish, I could not help but marvel at the world around me. Every little thing seemed new. Miraculous. I watched and felt as she rubbed her feet against the grass. She saw stars a human eye could never discern. I listened to her breathing in the damp, fragrant air, and I felt a joy I'd never known before.

Once she was safely inside for the night, I went home. Dawn was a couple hours away, but I immediately went to my hiding hole. I didn't change out of my blood-stained clothes, and I didn't shower. I would pay for it when I awoke thirsting for her blood, but I wanted her scent to permeate the dirt and the wood.

It had been years since I'd felt so completely inhuman. Despite my best efforts to control my instincts, killing the drainers felt so good. But I'd never felt so human, either. Feeling Sookie through my blood was not what I'd expected. Maybe it was different depending on the human, but she just felt so good. There was a lightness that was not mine that hummed along inside me, so different from nearly 150 years sharing Lorena's darkness. Despite the Queen's edict, I knew that I'd do anything to keep her as my own.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I suppose I should've posted this sooner, but I've obviously taken material directly from True Blood Episodes and Ms. Harris' books. Thanks to everyone who's reading, and a big gracious thank you to those kind enough to take the time to respond. I'm rather enjoying myself, and it's nice to know other people are too. Without further ado:

***

Third Night

I felt the warm sunshine on my face, and as I lifted my head towards it, I could see the red glow on my closed eyelids. At the soft sound of a horse's snort, I opened my eyes and looked around. It was my house surrounded by blooming azaleas, and I was sitting comfortably in a saddle in the middle of the well-tended yard. The sun felt good on my bare arms, the smell of blossoms floated on a gentle breeze, and I could feel the animal's warmth on my thighs.

"Papa," a little voice said. She was sitting in front of me in the saddle, her blond curls bouncing with the horse's movement. She leaned back to look at me upside down, and I saw my own blue eyes peering from beneath thick blond lashes. "Faster, papa," she insisted.

I tightened my arm around her as I kicked the horse. We flew across the yard towards the cemetery, my daughter squealing with delight. The horse reared back as we approached the fence, and she clutched at my arms, pressing herself back into my chest.

Heading back at a gentle gait towards the house, I saw Sookie walking towards us with a glass of lemonade. The breeze blew her thin cotton sundress, and I saw her belly was just beginning to round with my child. "Bill," she chided with a smile. "You'll scare her."

My daughter laughed defiantly, sounding for the world like her mother. "I wasn't scared."

I swung my leg around and jumped down before reaching up for my daughter. She threw her arms around my neck, her heart racing. "Maybe just a little scared," she whispered, her breath hot in my ear. "But you'll protect me."

"Always," I whispered back, kissing the top of her head. I set her down, and she ran off laughing towards the house. Sookie smiled at me and offered the lemonade; it was ice cold and heaven itself couldn't taste better.

She leaned against me, and her tongue darted out and licked a drop of sweat from my forehead. I moaned and immediately hardened as I gently pressed into her.

"Don't tease," I said.

"Oh, I'm not," she laughed, and I could feel her love and her desire as if it were my own.

I scooped her up in my arms, and I couldn't stop myself from catching her lips in a kiss. Her sweet taste mingled on my tongue with the tart lemons. Shielded from view of the house by a small hill, I laid her in the grass, and she immediately reached up for me. Once more her lips were pressed against mine, and her tongue teased my lips before I opened my mouth to let her explore. I rubbed gently against her breasts, pinching her nipples through the thin fabric of her dress, moving down to enjoy the swelling between her hips. Her fingers fumbled with my belt and my button, and she struggled to pull down the zipper.

Her hand was hot as she eased me out, her grip confident and familiar. I kisses and nibbled her neck as she stroked me, and I reached under her dress to discover she wasn't wearing panties.

"Impatient, sweetheart?" I teased as I stroked her soft wetness.

"For you, always," and she gasped as I entered her with two fingers.

Her legs wrapped around my waist like they were part of my own body. She arched into me, and I entered her in one swift movement. I sucked her shoulder into my mouth as she moaned, and I felt the sun on my back as I thrust into her again.

***

When I woke up staring at the floorboards above me, for a moment, I didn't know where I was or why I was alone. Like all my dreams, it felt as real as the dry, packed dirt beneath me, and I closed my eyes and longed for the smell grass, the warmth of the sun, my child in Sookie's belly, her hot tightness clenching around me.

The last time I'd seen the sun was two days before Lorena released me. We fought, and when I shattered a chair against the wall, she'd held a splinter to my heart. "Do you really want to end it?" she asked. I couldn't answer, so she took my hand, and we ran out of the city and into the California desert. As the sky in the east began to lighten, she kissed our entwined fingers and said she'd rather we both die than live apart. We were badly burned when she dug into the hot sand, and she commanded me to follow her.

I immediately shook thoughts of Lorena out of my mind, and instead explored the idea of displacing memories of Caroline and my Sarah, here in this house, with Sookie and children who could never be.

When I was human, I knew some men didn't think too much on it when their wives were with child. Life was hard, and so often children and wives died. But my favorite human memories, the ones I treasured the most during the long years of war when I felt a lifetime away from everything I knew and loved, were of lying in bed with Caroline before our children were born. There in the dark, I'd press myself against her warm back, one leg thrown over hers and my hand resting on her belly. I loved feeling my child bump and move inside her. It was like being allowed to touch God.

I hadn't thought of those nights in years, and I waited for the emptiness to consume me, as often happened when I thought about my lost human life. But it never came. Instead, I smelled Sookie's blood on my clothes and Sookie's scent on my hands, and I felt only hunger and the hum of contentment that buzzed along our bond. She was so close to me while I rested, just across the field, and she must've been outside enjoying the sun. She must've been thinking of me.

I was hungry and hard and still covered in blood and dirt from the previous night, so I quickly opened the trap door and gulped the last two TruBloods out of the cooler before rushing upstairs to change.

As much as I enjoyed it, vampires don't need to bathe: no bacteria to cause odor, no sweat. Vampire skin and hair repels everything that comes in contact with it. I knew several vampires, before the Great Revolution, who attempted to dye hair or use spray-tanning products to better blend into human society, but as soon as the chemicals dried, they brushed off. I soaked my soiled clothes in cold water and detergent and briskly rubbed my skin and hair. As I ran my fingers over my face, I wished again that I'd shaved before being turned. Now they have special clinics that cater to those about to be turned, and the humans are trimmed and waxed and buffed and whitened to perfection before being frozen in time.

After dressing, I rushed outside and across the cemetery. I could feel her nervousness mixed with excitement and anticipation. And lust. I could feel her lust. I told myself to slow down and walk across the yard at human speed, but once I realized she was outside waiting for me, I couldn't help but get to her as quickly as possible. The old floor boards on the porch groaned when I stopped moving, and she turned around, her breath caught in her throat when she realized I was suddenly there.

"Bill," she stammered. "I… I don't like it when you do that."

"I've upset you?" The last thing I wanted was to scare her, and I longed to take her hand in mine.

"No," she said. "Well, since you're here." She put aside the broom she'd been using and held open the door. I felt the house's barrier with my toe, and I would gladly give up immortality to be a normal man who could walk through an open door. "What's wrong?" She smiled at me and gestured once again towards the door.

"You have to invite me in," I said. When she looked confused, I reluctantly explained. "Otherwise it's physically impossible for me to enter a mortal's home."

"Seriously?" she said, as if I would joke about being so different from her. "Well come on. Try."

Once again, I probed the invisible barrier with my toe. "I can't," I said. "I can't even try." If I were capable of blushing, my face would've been brilliant red.

"That is so weird," she said, and I could feel her amusement and delight. "Oh Bill, won't you please come in?" It'd been so long since someone teased me that I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Thank you," I said. I started to move through the door, but she stepped in the way to stop me.

"So, if I were to withdraw my invitation, would you have to leave?"

I nodded, worried that she was already thinking of rescinding my invitation.

"I'll have to remember that." She smiled at me again as she showed me into the living room.

"Good evening, Mrs. Stackhouse," I said to her grandmother. "Thank you so much for having me."

"Oh, Mr. Compton," she blushed. "You're most welcome." She held out her hand, and I tried not to show my discomfort when I shook it lightly. Vampires don't touch each other casually. The transfer of scent is too powerful with such direct contact.

"Please," she said as she gestured for me to sit down on an old sofa, the other two chairs occupied by Sookie's bother and the girl who appeared to be her closest friend, neither of whom stood to greet me. Sookie sat next to me, perched on the very edge and as far away from my body as she could get. The space between us felt charged with electric tension, and once again I found myself wanting to touch her, any part of her. An arm around her shoulders, her hand in mine. Instead, I sat stiffly and reminded myself to blink and look as human as possible.

Mrs. Stackhouse offered a plate of sandwiches to Sookie's friend, who happily took one, and then to Jason, who piled several into his shirt, dropping crumbs onto the floor. When she held out the plate to me, I momentarily considered taking one just to be polite, but I didn't want to start out with any more deception. I held up my hand and shook my head.

"Of course. Of course…" she said, obviously embarrassed. "You don't…" She looked to Sookie, who smiled, and I smiled, and she shook her head as she set down the plate. "I'm sorry."

Mrs. Stackhouse settled next to me on the sofa, pushing me subtly towards Sookie. I felt the heat of her bare leg through my slacks as Jason defiantly shoved a whole sandwich into his mouth, glaring at me while he chewed as politely as a cow.

"Your people, Mr. Compton," Mrs. Stackhouse continued, "were from here, I believe?"

Her courtesy was comfortable and reassuring. I'd had the same conversation with Caroline's people the first time I called on her. Mrs. Stackhouse treated me no differently than any human man interested in Sookie; it was an old-fashioned politeness that was often overlooked.

"My father's people were Comptons, and my mother's people were Laudermilks."

"Oh, there are a lot of Laudermilks left," she said. I didn't explain that none were directly related to me anymore. "But I'm afraid old Mr. Jesse Compton died last year." Her tone implied sincere sadness at his loss, but I didn't know whether it was for my sake or hers.

"Yes ma'am," I nodded. "That's why I came back to Bon Temps. There were no living Comptons, so I've set up home in the old Compton place. And as I expect the VRA to pass…"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you," Jason interrupted. He quickly swallowed his sandwich before adding, "Lots of Americans don't think you people deserve special rights."

A tense silence fell on the room, and I saw both Sookie and Mrs. Stackhouse look at Jason, as if willing him to behave. "They're the same rights you have," I finally said.

"I'm just saying there's a reason things are the way they are," he replied.

"Yeah." I leveled my eyes at him, and I thought of the way he allowed Sookie to endanger herself driving home alone so late at night while he pleasured himself with whores. My fangs pressed painfully against my gums. "It's called injustice."

"This is called this is how we do it."

"Jason," Gran sharply said. "This is my house. I will not tolerate rudeness." Jason huffed. "Did you know the Stackhouses, Mr. Compton?"

"Yes," I smiled politely, willing myself to remember my manners for the sake of Sookie's grandmother, who reminded me of my mother. "I remember Jonas Stackhouse. He and his wife moved here when Bon Temps was just a hole in the road. I was a young man of 16." Jason scowled as I continued. "Isn't this the house he built? At least in part?"

"Yes it was!" she said, looking around excitedly.

"Did you own slaves?" Tara asked.

"Tara!" Sookie said.

This rude young woman, who was just as enslaved by the powers that be as everyone else, wanted to hate me. Judging me for the institution of slavery would be like me blaming her for the tragic modern health care system, but she would never forgive me if I answered truthfully. I didn't want to focus on her, nor did I desire a philosophical discussion on the history of slavery and why mechanization would've naturally ended it without the trauma of the Civil War had the northern states left well enough alone.

I wasn't without compassion when I was a human, and I wasn't naïve, either; I knew some land-owners kept their horses better than their slaves. My family was better off than many of our neighbors, but we weren't wealthy. We worked along side our eight slaves, who were more like extended family members than servants.

"I did not," I said, which was technically true. As the only surviving son, my wife and I lived on my father's land and helped work it with the understanding that I would inherit one day. "But my father did." Tara huffed and glared at me. "A house slave, a middle-aged woman whose name I cannot recall." Rebecca's dark, kind eyes came to mind, and I blinked against a tear when I thought of the woman who loved me, who cared for me when I was sick and grieved for my brother and delivered my children. She stayed with my family during the war, and she lived with my wife until she died, just a few years before Caroline did. I hoped, where ever she was, that she would forgive me for betraying her memory. "And a yard slave," I pushed on, forcing myself to smile. "A young, strong man named Minus."

"This is the kind of thing my club will be so interested to hear about," Mrs. Stackhouse said.

"About slaves?" Tara said.

"Well," Mrs. Stackhouse uncomfortably replied. "About anything having to do with that time."

It was unpardonable, the way she and Jason were putting the old woman in a difficult position, and once again, a tense silence settled over the room.

"I look forward to speaking with your club, Mrs. Stackhouse," I lied. She beamed back at me, and I thought she must've looked very much like Sookie when she was younger.

"Now, if it's alright with you, I thought Sookie and I might take a walk." I stood up and leaned over the arm of the sofa, silently begging Sookie to agree. "It's such a lovely night."

"Well," Mrs. Stackhouse said, looking over at Sookie, who was staring at me. "It's alright with me, if it's alright with Sookie."

Jason slammed down his beer bottle and stood up. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't think it's any of your business," Sookie tartly replied.

"She's right, Jason," Mrs. Stackhouse agreed.

"Gran, I'm the man of this family…" he began, but his grandmother stood up to face him and interrupted.

"You are a man in this family, but I am the oldest person here, and this is my house. You'd better respect me, boy."

"Actually," I said, leaning in to defuse the tension. "I'm the oldest person here." Mrs. Stackhouse blushed and laughed. She reached over and briefly placed a gentle hand on my arm. It was as unexpected as the night before and just as disorienting. "Shall we?" I said to Sookie, offering her my hand.

"We shall," she said, taking my hand in hers and flounced towards the door.

I nodded goodnight and thank you to Mrs. Stackhouse and glared at Jason, standing too close so he had to back up, before following Sookie out into the warm night.

"I went to the Rattrays' trailer," she said as we strolled down the drive. I'd expected her to ask about my blood, about her healing, or about our bond, not the fates of that common trash who intended to kill her.

"I told you I was strong."

"I don't believe I fully gauged the extent of your strength."

"Over the years, we become stronger," I explained. "And more skillful in hiding what we've done."

"You might want to remember next time, tornados hop," she said. "They don't just land in one place." I'd underestimated the police, and yet I couldn't stop from smiling because she worried for me. Despite my mistake, I didn't think anyone would be too sorry to see the end of those criminals. Time had taught me that, for the most part, life is cheap. "So, I guess you've killed a lot of people?" she asked.

"I killed a few by accident at first," I said, which wasn't technically untrue. "I was never sure when I'd get my next feed." I thought to those early days, when the hunger was painful, and the years of playing Lorena's bloody games. "But it's all different now: there's TruBlood." I saw the shifter in the bushes following us. He hunched low and sniffed the night air. When I glared at him, he growled at me. "I can get donor blood from a clinic in Monroe," I continued. "Or I can glamour someone into letting me feed on them for love, and then they'll forget all about it."

Sookie stopped walking and turned to me. "Did you feed on the Rattrays?"

"Yes," I said. I immediately felt her disgust. "After I'd given you my blood, while you were healing." For the first time since my turning, I wanted someone to understand. "You drank a lot of my blood."

"What will that do to me?"

"Well, you'll have keener senses," I said. Surely she'd noticed that already.

"What else?"

I paused and considered how I wanted to phrase this. "Your libido will be more active." She blushed and looked away.

"Is that it?"

"I'll always be able to feel you. I'll be able to find you fast. If you're ever in trouble, that could come in quite handy." I looked at her, and I carefully watched as she processed the information. I wanted to tell her that I'd never bonded with a human before. I wanted to hold her to me and tell how that because of her I'd been able to feel the sun.

"You're going to have to give me a minute here, Bill," she said before I could find my voice. "I'm feeling a little… overwhelmed."

"Of course," I said. We walked in silence for a few moments, but when we came to the little cemetery gate, I held it open for her and said, "It's new for me, too." She stopped and looked at me as if she didn't know whether or not to believe me.

"You said you could glamour someone into letting you bite them?" she finally asked as we continued to walk. "What is that? Hypnosis?"

"Kind-of. It's similar. All human are susceptible to it."

"Have you done it to me?"

"No," I quickly said, not wanting to tell her that I'd tried and I didn't think it worked. "And I never will."

"Really? Try."

"No," I said. I didn't want her to hate me for controlling her; I wanted to know what she honestly thought and felt. "I don't feel comfortable with that."

"Are you chicken?" she asked, daring me

I smiled and turned back to her. "Sookie?" I said, staring deeply into her eyes and forcing my mind into hers.

"Yes." She stepped closer to me, close enough to kiss or kill before her eyes could register that I'd moved.

"Can you feel my influence?" I wanted to touch her, and when she moved even closer, and I thought that she was doing it under my control. But then she burst into laughter.

"Nope. Sorry."

"Sookie, this is very strange." I worried what Andre would do when he realized she couldn't be easily controlled, and I wondered how long I could keep that information a secret.

"You don't like not being able to control people." She took my hand and led me further into the cemetery like she would a child. "That's not a very attractive trait, Bill."

"Humans are usually more squeamish about vampires than you are."

She stopped and leaned against a small railing. "Who am I to be squeamish about something out of the ordinary?" I felt such agonizing sadness through the bond. Such loneliness. I thought of the little girl in Hadley's photograph as Sookie looked off in the distance, and I knew her mind was somewhere else. "I was diagnosed with ADD," she finally said. "They tried to put me on drugs, but my mama wouldn't let them. She knew that wasn't it. She tried to protect me, even though I scared her."

"When did you lose her?" I asked.

"Just before I turned eight. Both my parents. Flash-flood." She walked away.

"I lost my wife and my children," I quietly said. "Everyone I knew from my human life. Most of them are buried here in this cemetery."

"You really don't consider yourself human at all?"

"I'm not human."

It was my turn to walk away, and I'd never hated myself more than I did in that moment. I held open the iron gate for her as we left the cemetery and entered my property.

"Can you turn into a bat?" she asked.

I almost laughed when I thought about her shifter admirer following us just out of sight. The lucky dog could have her. He could hold her all night and wake up to her in the morning. He could feed her and make love to her in the sunshine and have children, and she had no idea who he was.

"No," I said. "There are those who can change form, but I'm not one of them."

"Can you levitate?"

"No."

"Turn invisible?" she teased.

"Sorry." Telling her that I could remember everything sounded unimpressive, and not for the first time, I wished I had one of the more physical gifts, like flight.

"Bill," she laughed. "You don't seem like a very good vampire. What can you do?"

"I can bring you back to life," I said.

My house came into view as we walked through the trees. "This is where you live?" she asked.

"Since old Jesse Compton died with no living heirs, ownership reverts back to me."

"I thought that wasn't for sure until the VRA passes," she said.

"Well, I haven't been getting any trouble with the renovations I've been doing. Of course, I've been doing them myself, and at night. I need an electrician, but I can't get anyone to return my calls."

"Maybe if I made a few calls tomorrow I could stop by after work and tell you who to contact?" She shifted her weight onto one hip, and I couldn't help but smile at this girl who seemed completely unable to fail at anything.

"Thank you." Her little dress was so like the one in my dream. I wanted her hair to be like it was in the dream too. "Take your clip out," I asked. Her eyes were wide, and she never stopped looking at me as she did what I asked.

I stepped closer to her, and I could hear her erratic heart. "May I?" I asked. She nodded and held her breath.

Touching Sookie in the moonlight was even better than my best dream of her in the sun. I held the silken strands of hair between my fingers and inhaled. She threw back her head and offered me the soft skin of her neck. I saw her pulse, and I ran my nose against it, drinking in her scent. There was the delicious smell of her blood, but there was more. Because of the dream, I knew the scent I couldn't place before was the sun. My gums ached as I stepped away from her.

"I can smell the sunlight on your skin," I tried to explain.

For the first time since before I left for war, I felt like I could touch God again. I thought I'd shed everything that was human, but here was this girl who smelled of sunshine willingly standing before me. For the briefest of moments, I thought maybe I'd been turned just so I could save her life because she was entirely too good to be killed in a bar parking lot, and everything I'd lost was a small price to pay for my nose on her throbbing neck. I wanted, more than I'd ever wanted anything in my long life, to be hers.

Before I could do anything but ache for her, she stepped forward and pressed herself against me. Her hot hands pulled my head towards her, and she kissed me. I was so surprised it took a moment for me to kiss back, but then it was like I'd been waiting my whole life to kiss her. I'd never tasted anything so good, and I pressed into her as her fingers worked themselves through my hair. I wanted to rub myself over every inch of her skin. I wanted to bathe myself in her.

My tongue demanded entrance, and I willed my fangs to stay in place. She nuzzled against my face, trying to catch her breath, and I knew if I didn't do something, I wouldn't be able to stop. I wanted to bite her, to drink her, to pleasure her, and I would have to have her. All of her. Before I lost control, I abruptly stepped away, holding her still with my hand on her neck as my fangs slid down. "I…" I managed to gasp out. "I should see you home…"

She was frightened and confused, and I could feel her disappointment as strongly as my own. But she nodded. "Alright."

We walked in silence, at a comfortable human pace, back across my yard and through the cemetery. I concentrated on not breathing, and even still, my fangs didn't retract until we were half-way back to her house. It wasn't until I opened the far gate that I stopped.

"Miss Stackhouse," I began, embarrassed. "Please forgive me."

"Miss Stackhouse?" she quietly asked. "Back to that? Seems like a step in the wrong direction."

"Sookie," I willed my voice to caress her as I couldn't bring my hands to, taking her hand into my own. I heard her breath catch, and once again the delicious scent of her arousal filled my nostrils. "Sookie," I said again. "Is that better?"

She swallowed with difficulty and nodded.

"Please forgive me, Sookie. It's been… a long time…" my voice trailed off.

"Since what?" she asked.

"Since I did… this…" I waved my hand back and forth between us.

She laughed. "Well, I've never done it at all, so we're in big trouble." I couldn't help but smile at her gentle teasing. "We'll just have to make it up as we go along," she said. "The blind leading the blind?" By the time I'd walked her back to her door, I didn't want to ever leave. "Would you like to come in?" she asked as we lingered on the porch.

"Very much," I said. "But I'd better not."

She nodded. "They make TruBlood in different… flavors?" she said.

"Types."

She smiled. "Right. Types. Do they taste different?"

"They do."

She paused. "Is it like…" her voice trailed off.

"The real thing?" I finished. I smiled and shook my head. "Not at all."

She smiled. "But if I were to buy some, in case you came to call on me again…" she blushed and looked down at the ground, toeing the worn floor boards with her sandal.

"O Negative," I said. "I prefer O Negative."

"O Negative," she repeated. "Simple enough to remember."

I pulled a business card out of my pocket and pressed it into her hands. "My number," I said. "Please call me. Anytime."

"Do you want me to grab a pen for mine?" she asked.

"I'll remember," I said with a smile, knowing that even without my gift of recollection, I wouldn't forget her phone number.

"Can Gran call you about her meeting? I'm sure she's been on the phone since we left. She wants you to speak right away."

"Of course," I said. "If she calls before dark, please tell her I check messages as soon as I rise."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow night after work, then," she reluctantly said.

I squeezed her hands gently before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "I look forward to it," I said.

***

By the time I returned from the 24-hour store in Monroe and dropped my purchases in the empty kitchen, there were only a couple hours before dawn.

It'd been presumptuous of me to purchase things for Sookie when I was at the store, but I found myself contentedly wandering the aisles, selecting things I thought she'd enjoy. I usually loathed going to the store, but thinking about her made it a pleasant chore as I put snacks into my basket next to TruBloods: dried fruit and nuts, crackers, little cans of juice and bottles of water. I bought a case of soda because the bright blue packaging with the orange circle looked like the sky in my dream. I chose several packages of chocolate, bottled coffee drinks, and granola bars. It was easy enough to walk down the soap aisle and smell which brand she used. I found her shampoo and deodorant the same way. I had to guess with the shaving supplies. I did the same when I selected a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and Listerine. On impulse, I included a bottle of vitamin supplements blended for humans with vampire companions and quickly decided to not think too much about it.

All was quiet at Sookie's house as I silently picked the lock on the back door and found myself standing in the kitchen. Normally I found the smell of food nauseating, but even with the hint of garlic irritating my throat, this room was comfortable. I ran my hand lightly over the table, and I imagined sitting there with a TruBlood while Sookie and her grandmother ate, the three of us laughing and teasing.

I stealthily crept up the stairs, enjoying the photos that lined the walls. Mrs. Stackhouse obviously loved her family, and there were several generations of Stackhouses on display. I saw pictures of a younger Hadley, and a woman who could only be Hadley's mother. I saw Jason and Sookie with their parents and Mrs. Stackhouse with her husband.

It was easy enough to smell which room was Sookie's once I was on the second floor, and I eased open her door. The cat turned its head to glare at me, but Sookie slept soundly, her hair fanned out on the pillow.

I forced myself to just look at her from the doorway, to breath in the saturated air of her room and listen to her even breaths. She moaned softly and turned in her sleep, and I wanted to crawl into bed and hold her in my arms while she slept. Instead, I watched over her until the last possible moment I could stay, knowing that all I had at home was a dark and empty hole.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay between chapters – real life was calling more loudly than the fictional undead. I'll try to be more prompt in the future. With the break upon us, I'll be in the grips of feverish withdrawal, so hopefully I'll write more. While on the subject of writing, I'm sure it's obvious to everyone that I've lifted dialogue/material directly from True Blood Episodes and Ms. Harris' books; this is done with all due respect to their ideas and their work. I'm just having fun while attempting to fill in some of the blanks. Thanks to everyone who's reading, and a huge thank you to everyone reviewing and recommending my little project to their friends. I'm all about spreading the love and fanning the flames for True Blood._

***

Fourth Night

I was running, speeding as fast as I could through a thick wood. There was no moon, and I had to concentrate on weaving between the trees as I ran. The leaves blew in my wake, and animals scattered before me. I was sniffing desperately for an unknown sweet scent, but all I could smell was the dirt and the plants. The night air was heavy and damp, and if I could just get out of these woods, I would find what I was looking for. I had to find it, and I had to find it before dawn, but the trees never ended and time moved as quickly as I. I ran and ran, and the trees kept coming closer and closer together, and the stars raced across the fading night sky. I could feel the coming dawn, and I ran. I ran when every instinct made me want to seek the cool safety of the ground. I ran with limbs that felt dead. I ran even as I felt the blood begin to trickle from my eyes and my ears and my nose. I only knew that I couldn't stop, couldn't ever stop, because if I did, what I was searching for would be lost to me forever.

I jolted awake to my cell phone ringing. It was just dark, and I breathed Sookie's smell deeply and rubbed my face. I looked around my hiding hole, disoriented and troubled by my dream. The phone rang again, and I pulled it from my pocket and glanced to see who would be calling so early. When I realized it was Sookie's home phone, I quickly answered.

"Hello."

"Mr. Compton," Mrs. Stackhouse's pleasant voice said. "This is Adele Stackhouse, Sookie's grandmother. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh no ma'am," I said. "I was just rising."

"All the same, I know how I feel if someone calls before I get my first cup of coffee in the morning." She laughed. "Please forgive me, but I was hoping to catch you before you ate this evening. Would you care to have a little supper with me?"

"Um…" I stammered.

"Sookie went to the store today," she quickly said. "For you. She mentioned that you don't have electricity, and how that TruBlood you like is supposed to be warmed, and I thought maybe you could use our microwave for the time being? She's at work right now, but she's not closing tonight, and we could talk about your speaking at my meeting."

Sookie went shopping for me. She thought of my comfort. Her grandmother was inviting me to wait for her to get off work. "That sounds wonderful," I said.

"Oh good," she said. "Let's dispense with the formalities, shall we? Please just come to the back door."

***

"I can't tell you how delightful this is, Mr. Compton," Mrs. Stackhouse said. She was sitting across the kitchen table from me with a half a sandwich, a cup of soup, and an apple. "On the nights Sookie works, we eat our big meal at noon. I know she makes more money at night, but makes for a long evening for me."

I took a swallow of my warm TruBlood and smiled. Except for Sookie's absence, the scene was remarkably like I'd imagined the night before. I rested my fingertips on the old wooden table, the worn surface like a talisman against my unsettling dream that was impossible to forget.

"How long has Sookie worked at Merlotte's?" I asked.

"A few years now," she said. "She's such a smart girl, but she never did well in school." Mrs. Stackhouse shrugged. "It was hard for her. We talked about college, but…" She chewed carefully before continuing. "She had a couple other jobs after high school, but they were disasters. When Sam Merlotte offered her a place, I admit I wasn't all that pleased. The hours and everything that goes along with working at a bar... But Sookie needs to be around people, and she seems to like it. I know Sam Merlotte is a good man and a fair boss."

I nodded grudgingly.

"It's selfish of me, really," Mrs. Stackhouse said. "Keeping her out in the boonies with me, but I don't know what I'd do without Sookie. At some point, I hope she'll find someone…" Her voice trailed off, and she smiled at me. "She and Jason are all I've got left. I never thought I'd outlive my children."

I smiled sadly. "I know just what you mean," I said.

"Of course! How thoughtless of me."

"It was a long time ago," I shrugged.

"Sookie and Jason have a cousin, Hadley," Mrs. Stackhouse said. I knew my face was a practiced mask of polite interest.

"Really?"

"She's the same age as Jason, and my Linda wanted the kids after…" her voice trailed off. "Well, Linda had enough on her plate, raising Hadley alone, and I didn't think they needed someplace new after all that. They were here so much since they lived right down the road anyway. Hadley was a sweet girl, and she was very good to Sookie, but she and Jason were like oil and water. Even before my Linda died, Hadley was lost…

"Now Jason, he's just like my Corbett. Both of them too good-looking for their own good." She smiled indulgently. "No one can ever stay mad at either one of them, even when they deserve it." She laughed. "My daughter-in-law loved my son, Mr. Compton." She shook her head. "You've never seen a woman love a man the way she loved him. Like he was the very air in her lungs. And Jason, being so like him, was fine. But Sookie…"

"What about Sookie?" I quietly asked.

"Well, Sookie's special," she said.

"Her gift."

Mrs. Stackhouse smiled and sighed. "She told you?"

"Yes ma'am."

She reached across the table and patted my hand. "Sookie never tells anyone. That's something, Mr. Compton. But you know, I think even without Sookie being different, her mother would've had difficulties. She loved her children, and she did her best, I think, to do right by them, but she just didn't want to share Corbett with anyone. Not me, not Jason, not Linda or Hadley, not his friends, and certainly not Sookie." She sighed. "She wanted him all to herself. And with Sookie hearing things, but being too young to understand." She shook her head again. "There were other things, too… But those are Sookie's stories to tell. It hasn't been easy for her."

"We all have our crosses to bear, Mrs. Stackhouse."

She looked at me, and solemnly nodded. "Yes we do."

A comfortable silence fell over the table, and I looked around the room, soaking in the smell of Sookie that permeated the house and feeling more at ease than I had in years.

"Can I get you another one?" she asked, indicating the bottle of TruBlood.

"Yes, thank you."

"Now, about the meeting," Mrs. Stackhouse said as she stood by the microwave. "Night after tomorrow too soon?"

"Is there a hurry?" I asked.

"I just think that the sooner people realize they've got nothing to fear, the better it'll be for everyone." She handed me the warmed bottle. "I know, not all vampires are good. Not all people are either. Ignorance only leads to trouble, though."

"Sookie's a lot like you," I said.

Mrs. Stackhouse blushed. "Sookie is Sookie. I know a lot of people are curious about you. We usually meet at the library, but I asked the church to let us use the sanctuary so there's more room…" She looked embarrassed for a moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What they say about you not being able to enter a church. That's not true, is it?"

I smiled. "No ma'am."

"I didn't figure it was. Didn't make much sense at all. I just don't understand people. The life you must've lived! The things you must've seen!" She leaned over the table towards me, her eyes sparkling. "You have a lot you could teach us, Mr. Compton. And people in this town need to understand that you belong here. This was your home long before it was ours. There's no reason it shouldn't or couldn't be again…"

I looked away and took a slow swallow of TruBlood. I wanted what she was saying to be true. I hoped as I'd never hoped before that, after spending my long life disassociating myself from everything I loved, I could come back. That I wasn't so far away that such a home-coming was impossible. That I could be a man again, and I could wake with the woman I loved in my arms. That I wasn't beyond forgiveness.

I cleared my throat. "Mrs. Stackhouse," I began, not sure what to say as I blinked away unexpected tears. My phone rang just then and interrupted me. "Excuse me, please," I said as I answered.

"Hello."

"Bill, I don't see how you expect friends to come and visit when you insist on living in such squalor," Malcolm said.

My gratitude for the interruption quickly dissipated. "Malcolm," I said.

"You sound less than enthused to hear my voice. I'm hurt, Bill. I really am…"

"No doubt."

"Do I detect a trace of sarcasm?" he said.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Niceties over already?" He sighed. "That didn't take long."

"What do you want?" I repeated.

"We're here."

"Where is here?"  
"Your living room, honey," Malcolm said. "It's an appalling man-cave, I might add. Fortunately, we brought our own refreshments…"

"I'll be right there."

Malcolm kissed into the phone. "I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"Mrs. Stackhouse," I said again as I snapped shut my phone.

She waved at me. "I know you have far better things to do than to keep company with an old lady like me."

"Actually, nothing would please me more than to continue our chat." I hoped she would realize I was telling the truth. "But my presence is needed elsewhere."

"Please come again, Mr. Compton," she said as she walked me to the door, and I smiled at the thought of spending quiet evenings with her while we waited for Sookie to come home. At the last moment, she leaned in and brushed my cheek with the lightest of kisses. "Oh," she blushed. "You're lucky I'm not younger. I'd give Sookie a run for her money."

I smiled. "Thank you for your gracious hospitality," I said.

Instead of cutting across the cemetery, I ran down the long, winding drive, out onto Hummingbird Road, and then back down my drive. It'd be easy enough for Malcolm to trace my scent if they wanted to, but I hoped they weren't that interested. I stopped just on the edge of my property, and I opened my phone to call Sookie. She couldn't come over with Malcolm there. I hesitated after dialing the first four numbers. I needed to see her, and the thought of wasting a night with Malcolm when I could be with Sookie made me grip my phone so tightly I heard the plastic groan. I relaxed before I crushed it and put it back into my pocket. I walked at human speed down my drive, trying to convince myself that if I didn't encourage them, they'd return quickly to their nest.

"Baby!" Diane cooed from the porch. She ran towards me and brushed her lips against my cheek. "Where were you?"

"Out," I said, pulling myself away from her.

"Out?" Malcolm repeated. He was draped against the doorframe.

I ignored him and walked into the living room. Two humans were lying on the couches. They both smelled of sex and drugs and greasy food, and their stench would be in the fabric for days. They stared at me with hungry eyes as I walked to the chair in the corner, as far away from them as I could get, and sat.

"Where's Liam?" I asked.

Malcolm grinned. "Out."

"He had better not hunt. This is my town."

"Are you threatening me?" Malcolm quietly asked. Then he smiled. "How cute."

"Can we speed this along? I have things to do this evening."

"Baby, that's no way to treat neighbors," Diane purred.

Malcolm sniffed the room carefully. "Diane, we shouldn't be too hard on our Bill. I don't smell any humans in here. Something tells me he's not been having any fun."

"I'm living mainly on synthetic blood for the moment," I said.

Malcolm and Diane laughed. "Oh, this is worse than I thought," Diane said to Malcolm. "He needs a… What do they call them? When the humans force each other to do things they don't want, claiming it's for their own good?"

"An intervention," Malcolm said.

Diane laughed again. "Oh yes! Like on television. He needs an intervention."

"Your nest is horrible," Malcolm said as he ran his fingers along the chipped paint. "Why are you living here?"

"I'm restoring it," I said. "I'm in no hurry."

"Such a sentimental task," Malcolm sighed. "Restoration. I always found the notion rather depressing. Why relive the past? It's over."

"Some of us feel grounded by our roots," I said.

"That's dangerous, my friend," Malcolm said. "We were reborn when we were turned, and we begin each night anew. We have only the present."

"Enough of the philosophy," Diane muttered. "You're boring me. You used to be fun, Bill. What happened?"

"Atonement."

Malcolm rolled his eyes and Diane laughed. "Oh baby, you're worse off than I thought," she said.

I heard Sookie's car turn from Hummingbird Road onto my drive. She must've left work early. Once more, I focused on controlling my face. They couldn't know what she was.

"Expecting company, Bill?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes. Maybe we could continue our visit another night."

"And miss out on the fun?" he smiled. "Never."

I heard her car stop, and there was a long hesitation before her step on the ground and the car door being shut. I could feel her uncertainty through the bond, and her fear. But then, there was a strong sense of determination, and her steps were light and quick on the stairs.

"Get the door, Diane," Malcolm said.

"That won't be necessary," I said.

He smiled at me. "I think it is."

Sookie hadn't knocked when Diane opened the door. "Well hey there, little human chick," she said.

"Hi," Sookie said in a confident voice. "I'm here to drop off some information about an electrician for Bill Compton. Is he here?"

"Maybe," Diane said.

"She smells fresh," Malcolm said. I heard both their fangs pop down. "Maybe you oughta come on inside." I heard Liam on the porch, and he was growling at her, and I felt Sookie's fear and confusion, but again, determination pushed other feelings aside.

"Are you trying to glamour me?" Sookie asked.

There was a moment's hesitation. "Yes," Malcolm finally said.

"That doesn't work on me.  
"Why not?" Liam asked.

"I don't know," Sookie said. "It just doesn't. Is Bill available?"

She still wanted to see me, even after the three of them. It was too late to get her out without spiking their interest, and once again I could only hope they'd grow bored and leave quickly. "Let her in," I said. Sookie sighed with relief. Diane moved closer to her, still blocking the door. "Diane," I repeated. "Let her in."

"Oh," she pouted. "Fuck him."

"You have," Malcolm sneered.

I felt her flash of disgust and anger through the bond, and I silently vowed to someday repay Malcolm for his flippant remark. Sookie walked inside, and Diane leaned in and licked her neck. Sookie pulled away as Diane moaned and laughed. Malcolm quickly shut the door, too quickly for Sookie to see, and she walked bravely into the living room. The humans didn't rise to meet her, only stared from the sofas. It must look awful to her: no lights, two drugged and mostly naked humans, and three out of control vampires, and I was the unwilling host to it all.

"If y'all excuse me and Bill a minute?" Sookie said, looking only at me. "We have some business to attend to."

"Where'd you find this?" Diane leaned in and sniffed her ponytail. The three circled closer, and Sookie stood trapped like a butterfly in a cave.

"Man," Liam said. "She smells fuckin' sweet."

"And to think, just five minutes ago you were telling you how you were mainly living on synthetic blood," Malcolm said. "You big poser."

"I don't know, Malcolm," Diane said as she nuzzled Sookie's cheek. "She looks like a virgin to me."

"That's none of your damned business, you nosy bitch," Sookie snapped.

Diane pulled Sookie's head back by her hair, exposing the delicate and pulsing artery in her neck. "It is my business, cupcake. You want to know why? Because virgin blood is the best tasting blood there is."

I gripped the arms of the chair, visions of the one and only time I played with a virgin superimposed on Sookie in the living room. That girl was a blond, too, and afterwards, I'd told Lorena never again with a virgin. Lorena had laughed at me, and then she took me into her arms and stroked my hair gently. "You're so sweet, William," she'd soothed. "This will pass." But she never picked another virgin after that.

That night, she'd refused to glamour the girl. "What's the point?" she said as the girl cried and pleaded. "We're going to kill her anyway. I like the taste of adrenaline." She'd held the girl down and ordered me to fuck her. She'd licked the maiden-blood from my cock before allowing me to continue, watching with wide eyes and descended fangs as I thrust into the screaming girl.

"Well," Diane continued, as I forced myself back to the present. "Second best. The best is…"

"Baby's blood," Liam added.

"Yeah!" Diane moaned.

"I get hard just thinkin' 'bout it," Liam said. He rubbed himself against Sookie, pressing her to his hard-on. I could feel her fear as her heart thumped loudly in her chest, only spurring them on as the distinct scent of her blood rushed to the surface of her skin. I quickly weighed my options: I could kill Liam easily enough, but Malcolm and Diane would fight for their nestmate, and Malcolm would fight for his Child. Liam pulled Sookie's head to the side and offered her neck to Diane. "Ladies first."

Diane leaned in, her fangs almost touching Sookie skin, before I stood up.

"Stop." My tone was such that Diane immediately pulled back.

And then I said only three words, but powerful ones I'd never said before and had vowed to never say. Despite the Queen's orders, and with my anger barely in check for their scent on Sookie, and my lust for her about to consume me, I said, "Sookie is mine."

My nails drew blood in my palms as I clenched my fists as tightly as I could. Malcolm tapped Diane on the shoulder, and she released Sookie, who reeled slightly, heart still thumping in fear.

"Well," Malcolm slowly said. "If you're Bill's, I certainly don't want to do anything to disturb your little arrangement." He looked at me, and I knew that he knew I'd never claimed a human. He knew I hadn't had her, too, and he was confused, but his amusement was stronger. Malcolm strolled over the couch and flopped next to the human male. "That's why I bring Jerry with me where ever I go. He's like mad money." Jerry immediately crawled onto Malcolm's lap, rubbing himself against Malcolm like a cat in heat.

"Someone needs to get down on my Johnson," Liam said as he unbuckled his belt. The woman slinked towards him. When she pulled out his erection and put it in her mouth, Sookie blushed and looked away.

"Oh," Diane said from the arm of the couch as she watched Malcolm feed from Jerry. "She's innocent." She laughed that irritating laugh of hers.

"She's mine," I repeated because it sounded so good to say out loud.

"Yeah, yeah," Diane sulked. "We got it." She glared at me before turning towards Sookie. "So why aren't you over there taking care of your Master, human?" Sookie looked at me, not understanding what Diane meant. "Can't you see how hungry he is?"

"Bill?" Malcolm said from Jerry's neck. "If you're hungry, you're more than welcome to have some of Jerry." He patted Jerry's muscular back. The man rose and walked seductively towards me. He leaned back on the sofa, soft fingers caressing his neck.

"Come on," Liam said to the woman. "Suck it!"

Diane laughed as I felt myself instinctively lean towards Jerry. The blood lust from my anger and desire for Sookie was strong, and the bite marks Malcolm had left oozed. The scent of fresh blood went immediately to my head. Before I could stop myself, I felt my fangs slide down. I looked to Sookie, trying to will myself away from the man, humiliated and shamed, but the pull of the blood was like gravity. I leaned in closer, and when my fangs were almost on his pulsing vein, Sookie stepped forward.

"Stop!" she said. "He has Hep D." She looked around, confused. "What is Hep D?" she asked no one in particular.

"Fucking bitch!" Jerry screamed as he lunged at her. He pushed her to the coffee table and held her by the neck. "They fucking killed Marcus," he said, as if that meant something. He pulled back to strike her, but I rushed forward, snapping his wrist before he could hurt her anymore. Jerry clutched his wrist, and Malcolm was over him in an instant, glamouring him to sleep before he uttered a sound. Liam came loudly, pulling out of the woman's mouth so she wouldn't swallow his blood, catching it in his hand instead. I leaned close to Sookie, who was still sprawled across the table. She coughed and gasped for air.

"Well, this has all been very… illuminating," Malcolm said. "But we've got a long drive back to Monroe, and I'm sure we'll all want to have a little talk with Jerry when he wakes up." He easily threw the unconscious man over his shoulder and walked towards the door.

"Janella," Liam said as he fastened his jeans. "We're being evicted."

"Hey!" Diane exclaimed from her perch on the sofa. She hadn't moved at all during the moments of action. "Isn't anyone even the slightest bit interested in how this little bitch knew about Jerry?" Diane was always the clever one. Malcolm may be older and more powerful, but she was definitely the brains of the nest.

Sookie looked at me, and I willed her to be quiet. "You can't speak yet, can you sweetheart?" I said.

Diane was over my shoulder in a flash, her breasts pressed against my back. "I can make her talk."

"Diane," I said, my mouth threateningly close to her ear. "You forget."

"Yeah, yeah," Diane said. "She's yours. Whatever." Diane sped away from us, and the group walked out the door, Jerry still slung over Malcolm's shoulders.

"Jerry, you stupid bitch," Malcolm said as they were leaving. "No one fucks with me and gets away with it." Knowing that Malcolm would punish his human made me feel oddly calm, and as the door shut, I felt Sookie's relief through the bond.

I put my hand on Sookie's face. Now that they were gone, all I could think about was the fact that she was mine. _Minemineminemineminemine_. I hadn't intended to claim her, but it felt so right. Part of me felt guilty, knowing deep down that I hadn't called her and kept away on the off-chance that something like this might happen. I knew how unique her scent was. I knew how Malcolm and his nest reacted to such pleasures. I shook away my uncertainties for the time being and focused on her. I gently helped her up, and she immediately brushed me away. I sighed and walked to the doorway to give her space, not wanting to feel her rejection.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," I said quietly. "Their visit was unexpected." She continued to sit on the coffee table, and she looked very small and very young in her little denim skirt and ponytail. I wanted to gather her into my arms and lick her eyelashes and nuzzle away the scent of Diane and Liam's fingers…

"What's Hep-D?" she finally asked.

"Hepatitis-D is the only blood-born pathogen to which we are susceptible. Malcolm must be furious."

"Hepatitis?"

"A mutation," I explained. "Relatively harmless to humans, oddly enough."

"I've never even heard of it," she said.

"That's because we've kept it out of the media."

"And it makes you sick for a year?" she asked. She must've heard that craziness in the man's thoughts. Misinformation was essential to our mainstreaming efforts.

I couldn't help but smile at her obvious concern for my safety. "No," I said. "It just makes us weak for about a month or so. The biggest danger to us from Hep-D is being captured and staked during that time."

"Yeah," she said, sounding angry. "You don't want your weaknesses to be public knowledge."

"Precisely."

"And what the hell did you mean – Sookie is mine?" I'd never heard her curse before, not in all the weeks I'd been following her.

"I was communicating to the others that you are human, and therefore I am the only one who can feed on you."

She stood up and walked towards me. "You most certainly cannot feed on me!" she said.

"Well of course I can't, Sookie," I said, trying desperately to make her understand there'd been no other way to protect her. "But had they know that they would've considered you fair game, and I wouldn't have been able to stop them from attacking you. It'd be three against one, and Malcolm is much older than I am and quite strong."

"You and Diane…" her voice trailed off. "Dated?"

"We…" Once more I found myself not certain of what to tell her, so I settled again for partial truth. "Had sex once. Just after she was made vampire back in the late 1930s."

"What?" she said, stepping back. "Gross… Bill… She's so… They're all so mean, so…"

"Vicious," I finished for her. "Yes they are. They share a nest, and when vampires live in nests, they become more cruel, more vicious. They become laws unto themselves. Whereas vampires such as I, who live alone, are much more likely to hang on to some semblance of our former humanity." I moved towards her, willing her to not flee.

"Here," she said, holding a folded piece of paper between us like a shield. "Contact info for two electrical contractors. They're willing to come out at night and give you quotes."

"Thank you," I said.

"I have to go."

"May I kiss you goodnight?" I asked.

"No." She shook her head. "I couldn't stand it after them." She quickly left the house, and I heard her start her car and head back down the drive towards Hummingbird Road. The thought of Malcolm lingering in Bon Temps made me clench my fists again, and I dropped the paper to the floor as I ran out after her.

She had a head-start, but I quickly zipped through the cemetery. I felt her sadness, and it mixed heavily with my own.

I was standing on the porch when she parked her little car. I saw her wipe away a few tears before she got out. She walked slowly towards the door, and she didn't see me until she looked up.

"Goddammit, Bill!" she said as she jumped. "How many times do I have to tell you? Do not do that!"

She'd only told me last night, and she'd said she wasn't upset, but I decided not to mention that. "I'm sorry," I said instead. "It wasn't intentional. I just got here. I just wanted to make sure that you were safe." I stepped off the porch towards her, and she stood, her arms defensively crossed and tucked into her sides.

"Why can't I hear your thoughts?" she finally blurted out. "Do you even have any thoughts?"

"Oh I have thoughts," I said. "Many lifetimes of thoughts."

"So why can't I hear them?"

I sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps it's because I don't have brain waves."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm dead," I said, pointing out the obvious.

"No," she insisted. "You're not. You're standing here, talking to me."

"I have no heartbeat," I said, angry at the fact that I was so different. "I have no need to breathe. There are no electrical impulses in my body. What animates you no longer animates me."

"What does animate you then?" she asked. "Blood? How do you digest it if nothing works?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Magic."

I felt her anger flare. "Oh come on, Bill," she practically spit at me. "I may look naïve, but I'm not. And you need to remember that."

"You think it's not magic that keeps you alive?" I said as I stepped closer to her, bathing myself in her scent. "Just because you understand the mechanics of how something works doesn't make it any less of a miracle, which is just another word for magic…" I leaned closer, wanting to taste her lips. "We're all kept alive by magic, Sookie," I whispered. "My magic's just a little different from yours, that's all."

She leaned her head back and shook her head. "I think we need to stop seeing each other," she said as she quickly darted up onto the porch.

"Why?" I asked, unable to keep the anger from my voice. She was mine, and I was hers, and there was no undoing that now.  
"Because you don't breathe. You don't have any electrical… whatever it is. Your friends want nothing more than to rip my throat out. And because vampires killed that preacher from the Fellowship of the Sun Church, and his wife and baby. You look me in the eyes and tell me they didn't do it."

I hadn't heard of this, but I knew the Church was dangerous. It was only a matter of time before some tragic accident occurred, something freakish and deniable. She would stand there, self-righteous in front of me, and blame me for violence?

"Humans have killed millions upon millions in senseless wars," I said. "I do not hold you responsible for that."

"Bill, night before last, I had to bury my bloody clothes because I didn't want my grandmother to find out I was almost killed, and tonight I was almost killed again. Why on earth would I continue seeing you?"

I walked up onto the porch and stared into her eyes. "Because you will never find a human man you can be yourself with." Her eyes filled with tears, and I felt the crushing weight of her despair. "Sookie," I said, reaching out for her hand.

"Do not touch me," she said as she opened the door. "Just go. Please."

"Dammit," I muttered to the closed door before running back to my house. I grabbed my car keys and sped off, once again, to Monroe.

***

"Hello."

"Andre, this is Bill Compton."

"Bill," he said. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"She's mine," I said.

There was a pause. "Her majesty will not be pleased, Bill."

"It was unavoidable," I said.

"I'm sure." Andre's voice was dangerously quiet. "This will complicate the situation. You do realize that the Queen asked you not to claim her for your own safety."

"I had no choice," I insisted.

"Have you explained it to her? Does she know that she can refuse you? Choose another?"

I took a deep breath that I didn't need. "She's had my blood," I finally said.

"Explain."

"The drainers I told you about? They tried to kill her."

"Yes, I saw in the paper that there were two nefarious humans found crushed in a freak accident. I assumed you were responsible."

"She would've died," I said. "I had to heal her."

"Just like you had to claim her?"

"Yes," I said.

"What happy coincidence," Andre said, and then the line went dead.

***

"Malcolm," Lorena said to the tall, slender vampire who opened the ornate townhouse door.

"Lorena!" he said, kissing her on both cheeks. "It's been too long. The Queen sent word that you were headed this way, but I expected you sooner."

"This is my William," she said.

"Ah," Malcolm sighed as he leaned close to me. "He's exquisite."

"He's mine," she sharply said.

"We've always shared in the past," he smiled.

"Not this one," she said. "May we come in?"

"Of course, of course," Malcolm said, holding open the door. "My manners are deplorable. Welcome to my nest."

"William," Malcolm said to me, politely nodding his head.

"Bill," I corrected.

"Bill?" he smiled. He looked to Lorena, who was removing her traveling cloak and gloves.

"Don't mind him, Malcolm," she said. "My William is having a difficult time adjusting. So whatever entertainment you have planned, make sure it's not going to scare him."

"How sweet," Malcolm said. "He's sensitive, too…"

"I can be patient," Lorena said. "I think the palace was a bit much to one so young."

Malcolm led us into a luxurious drawing room. The room was awash in candles, and a fire burned merrily in the hearth.

"The Queen was well, and her feeding room, as always, was delightful. But then we had to leave Louisiana immediately," Lorena said. "Such a shame… I really like it there, and now we have to check in here. Such a hassle."

"St. Louis has certain appeals," Malcolm said. "Although the king is an insufferable bore. But then again, who would want to rule the Midwest?" Malcolm shuddered and Lorena laughed.

"William," Lorena said to me. "Malcolm and I traveled over from Europe together. We shared a nest near New Orleans for several years."

"She doesn't look it," he said with an affectionate smile and wink. "But she's the tiniest bit older."

"Malcolm!" Lorena chided. "It's not polite to speak of a lady's age."

"You, my sweet, were never a lady." His fangs slide down, and he licked one. "It's what I love most about you. Have you fed?"

"William has once, but that was hours ago," she said.

"Yes, the young are always so hungry…" Malcolm said. "Come, I know the best place. Not to worry, it's all very up-and-up."

"William," Lorena said. I went to her side and offered her my arm. She smiled at me as she rested her small hand on me.

"Such good manners," Malcolm sneered.

"Yes," Lorena laughed as we exited the house and stepped into Malcolm's waiting carriage. "There's something to be said for a gentleman." She kept her hand on my arm as the carriage ambled down the street. Malcolm sat across from us and shook his head.

"You're the very picture of domesticity. I never would've believed it." He smiled again, something sinister and cold that didn't reach his eyes. "I never thought you'd find what you were searching for. He's it?"

"Yes," she said.

"May I?" he asked Lorena, indicating me with a nod of his head. "Just a taste?"

"No blood," Lorena said. "He's mine."

Malcolm nodded his agreement, and then shifted forward so quickly he was a blur even to me. He ran his fingers through my hair and traced my lips with his tongue. "Exquisite," he whispered.

"That's enough," she said. "Make your own."

He slowly sat back in his seat, laughing once more. "Touchy, aren't we?" he said. He turned to me, rolled his eyes and said, "Women."

"What happened to Philippe?" Lorena asked.

"I released him a few years ago amicably enough. It was time. For the moment, I'm enjoying just my own feelings," he tapped his head. "I'm sure one of these days, I'll be struck and make another. Or I'll call him back. So it goes… Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed. "We're here."

I stepped from the carriage and helped Lorena down.

"It's the best," Malcolm said, pulling us inside the bar. "Are we getting separate rooms, or all together, or do you want to take it home? They're really quite flexible for the right price."

"Together's fine," Lorena said. "But remember, don't frighten William."

Malcolm stepped up to a tall man wearing a black suit and whispered into his ear. With all the noise, I couldn't hear what he was saying, but the man smiled, and I saw Malcolm slip a thick fold of bills into his pocket.

"Please, come follow me," he said to us, and we followed him up the wide staircase. I didn't miss it when Malcolm moved at vampire speed to retrieve his money from the man's pocket.

The suite was lavishly decorated, and four young women entered shortly after we did.

"Mr. Smith," one of them said, bowing low to Malcolm.

"Ah," he said, "Cassandra. I'd hoped you'd be available this evening. These are my dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. Brown."

A pretty red-head came up to me and bowed. "Mr. Brown," she said.

Lorena pushed her away. "Don't speak to him unless I give you permission," she said. The girl nodded again.

Malcolm flopped onto a low sofa, pulling Lorena next to him. "You really must relax," he whispered in her ear. The humans couldn't have heard what he was saying. "No one's going to hurt your boy. You need to have some fun." His tongue darted out and licked her ear. "Remember how much fun we used to have?"

I stood near the fire, staying as far away from the girls as I could, the small room intensifying the scent of their blood. I tried to lose myself in the sensations of the heat on my skin, the colors of the flames as they flickered.

"Ladies," Malcolm said, "I think perhaps a little entertainment for my friends before we begin. I've been raving about you all evening."

The women moved in a well-rehearsed dance of seduction. It started out slowly and gently, with whispers of kisses and the softest of caresses, but when they started undressing each other, I had to look away.

"William," Lorena said softly. Both she and Malcolm were looking at me, not the girls rubbing and kissing each other. "Come here."

I sat at her feet, and she gently ran her fingers through my hair as she whispered in my ear. "This is for you, William. They're lovely, aren't they? And they won't be hurt. Not tonight. They won't remember anything but pleasure. Neither will you. I promise."

I was so hungry, and I hated myself, and I hated her, and yet I clung to her as the only anchor in my new and frightening world.

"Come, Bill," Malcolm said as he leaned forward and pulled one of the girls into his lap. He kissed her neck as she ground herself on him. I smelled it immediately when he broke her skin, and when he looked at me over his shoulder, there was blood on his lips. "No need to be shy."

I couldn't stop my fangs from sliding down, and I felt the growl in my throat as Lorena motioned the girls closer.

"Yes, William," she whispered, stroking my cheek. "Yes…"

***

I pulled into their driveway, flashed to the door, and knocked loudly. Malcolm opened it moments later, and I walked in without a greeting.

"Well, look," he said. "It's everyone's favorite buzz-kill."

"Hey baby," Diane said, setting down a glass filled with blood.

"Mr. Mainstream," Liam said as he held out a pitcher of blood. It smelled human and fresh. "Thirsty?"

"No," I lied.

"Hungry for something else?" Diane asked. She stepped closer to me. "I remember you having a very sizable… appetite." She went to touch my chest, and before I thought about it, before she could offend me again, I growled and pushed her away. She flew across the room, crashing through a wall. As she pulled herself from the wreckage, Malcolm and Liam laughed, their fangs extended.

"The three of you will stay away from me and Sookie from now on," I said to Malcolm.

"I'm your elder," he said, pushing past me and sitting on the plastic-covered sofa. "You have no authority here."

"There are higher authorities," I threatened.

"I'm not afraid of Eric," Malcolm boasted, although I knew he was lying.

"Higher than him," I said.

"Well," Malcolm said, his voice thick with implication. "Then she can speak to me."

"She can suck on sunlight, for all I care," Diane added.

"You are doing nothing to help our cause," I said.

"Not everyone wants to dress up and play human, Bill," Diane sneered.

"Yeah," Liam added. "Not everyone wants to live off that Japanese shit they call blood either. As if we could." He took a gulp from the pitcher.

I sighed. "We have to moderate our behavior now that we are out in the open."

"Not everyone thinks it was such a great idea," Malcolm said. "And not everyone intends to tow the party line." He leaned over and put his hand on mine. "Honey, if we can't kill people, what's the point of being a vampire?"

"Where's Jerry?" I asked.

"We left him on the side of I-20," Malcolm said, sounding almost sad. "Well, most of him, anyway. I kept a souvenir or two…" Diane laughed and took another delicate sip from her glass.

"Janella felt so bad about what Jerry did," Liam said, holding up the pitcher as if in a toast. "She made the ultimate sacrifice."

I walked to the entry way, and hanging upside down in the kitchen, bleeding out into a bucket, was the human female. She was already wrapped in plastic, ready to be easily disposed once her blood was out. The three followed me, Diane laughing the whole time.

"Y'all make me sick," I said.

"You used to be fun," Diane accused. "Is this all on account of that blond breather?"

"If you insist on flaunting your ways in front of mortals," I said. "There will be consequences." I left quickly, closing the door quietly behind me.

***

When I got home, I considered going over to Sookie's and sneaking in again. I wanted to walk up the stairs to her room, curl up beside her in bed, and hold her while I explained everything. What a relief it would be to not have secrets from her. But in the end, I wanted her to come to me. I wanted her to come to me not because she couldn't be with a human man, as I'd suggested on the porch, but because she picked me. I wanted to be hers, but not for lack of options.

I stretched out on the coffee table where Sookie had been just a couple hours before, and I closed my eyes.

"Sookie?" I called through the bond. "Sookie? Can you feel me?"

I focused all my energy on the little hum in the back of my head that was Sookie, and I felt her asleep. I could feel her sadness, and I felt her longing for me. It seemed so wasteful, to be alone and wanting her just across the field from where she lay alone, wanting me. Such a delicate dance she required.

I imagined her coming to me across the field, running in her bare feet in a little white nightgown with eyelet lace. She'd hurry up the steps and push open the door, and she'd stand before me, gasping for breath and flushed from the run.

"What are you doing here?" I'd ask her, standing up and moving close enough to feel her breath hot on my face.

"You scare me," she'd say.

"Don't be afraid," I'd whisper into her hair.

I'd gently pull her to me, and I'd lean down slowly to kiss her softly. She'd moan into my mouth, and my tongue would tease her lips until she let it in. I'd drink in her sweet taste, and her tongue would catch onto the rhythm and wrestle gently with mine.

I'd trail my lips and tongue down her neck and across her throat, and I'd feel her pulse beating rapidly under my mouth. I'd suck her soft skin into my mouth, being careful to not scrape her with my fangs. As much as I longed to, I wouldn't bite her. Not yet, not until she wanted me to. I wanted to show her how good I could make it feel, but I wouldn't until she asked. Instead of biting, I'd softly kiss her pulse once more before moving way back up to her mouth.

We wouldn't need to talk. We would feel each other's need. Not want, but need, and we would understand that words, even the sweetest words ever uttered, would fall hollow and limp compared to our desire.

As I kissed her, I'd unbutton the tiny buttons on the back of her nightgown that would remind me of ladies' undergarments from when I was a man, those tiny little buttons that required skill to unfasten without ripping the lace. Her breathing would grow ragged, and she'd tug my hair as I pulled the straps down over her arms.

She'd glow in her nakedness, unashamed as she'd stand before me, and I'd have to taste her. I'd kiss my way down her glorious breasts, sucking her nipples into my mouth, and across the tight skin of her belly. I'd be on my knees, kneeling before her as the unworthy do before their God, and I'd bury my nose in her soft, golden curls.

She would be glistening in the candlelight, her secret place red and swollen. I'd tease a single finger along her wet folds, her body shuddering under my touch. I'd nuzzle her, drinking in her fluids, which tasted sweeter than any blood. My thumb would trace lazy circles while my tongue plunged into her as far as it could reach. She would moan and buck into my hand, whispered pleas escaping her lips.

There on the coffee table, alone, I stroked myself and wished for Sookie. I felt her through the bond, and I knew she was just as frustrated as I, and I thought again about running across the field. Even as I came into my hand, I felt unsatisfied, and even though there were a couple hours until dawn, there was nothing I wanted to do. I left messages for the electricians and surrendered myself to my hole.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: I'm filling in some of the holes left by Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball will all due respect to their perspective work. Just so everyone knows, I don't speak or read Cambodian. The few English translations towards the end of this chapter came from the internet, so I can only hope they're correct. My gracious "thank you" to everyone taking the time to read and review. Feedback is helpful and very much appreciated._

Fifth Night

The sunshine filtering through the leaves was warm and green, and Sookie had a sweaty sheen in the light. I hissed, my fangs popped down, and I pressed myself against the rough trunk of the tree, shielding my face with my hands.

Sookie gently laughed. "Come on," she said as she tugged on my hand. Her little dress was pale blue, the thin straps taunt over the smooth, tanned skin of her shoulders. The sun danced on her golden hair, and she smiled.

"It's too late," I gasped.

"I'll save you," she said.

I let my arms drop to my sides, and I realized I didn't need to squint. She took my hand, and I allowed her to pull me out of the shadows into the patch of light with her. I pressed her to my side and caught a drip of sweat that trickled down her neck with my tongue. She shivered as she touched my fangs with two of her fingers and licked her lips.

"Do you know what happens to little girls who linger with monsters in the woods?" I growled. She shook her head. "They're devoured," I whispered, my tongue flicking her ear.

She pricked the tip of one finger with my fang. The drop of blood shimmered like a jewel, and I sucked her finger into my mouth. As I my tongue swirled the tip, I suckled ravenously at the tiny wound. Her breath came in gasps as she rubbed herself against me.

"Maybe they devour each other," she whispered. "Maybe that was the plan all along." She nuzzled my neck before biting down, her tongue frantically lapping my blood.

***

I awoke knowing someone was at the house. I didn't move as I analyzed the unfamiliar scent. He was outside, smoking a cigarette, and his heart thumped loudly in his chest. I listened as he coughed and shuffled his feet. Instead of going up through the trapdoor and coming out into the entryway, I shimmied my way to the outside exit, which led up to the backyard and was hidden behind a large azalea. I skillfully and silently moved the bricks and boards, crawled up onto the grass, and quickly concealed my passageway. I flashed through the yard and once under the cover of trees, I examined the intruder.

He was middle-aged, standing at a distance from the porch next to a worn, white pick-up truck which bore the signs "Thibodeaux Construction," one of the electricians Sookie had given me. I ran up to him, knowing that he would feel the sudden breeze and I would have appeared. The man was so startled he yelped, dropped the cigarette into the grass, and jumped onto the hood of the truck.

"Bill Compton," I said, toeing the burning butt into the ground.

"Oh," he rushed, heart beating wildly. "Mr. Compton. I'm… I'm…" he swallowed several times before climbing down and offering his hand. "Phil Thibodeaux." I shook it as quickly as possible. "I didn't intend to trespass, I swear. But see, Sookie Stackhouse called, and then you left a message, and I tried calling you earlier…"

"I wasn't available earlier," I stated the obvious.

"Oh!" the man flustered. "Oh course you weren't… I mean…"

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

Phil cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I wanted to tell you that me and my brother updated the electrical just three years ago. New box, all new wiring. You shouldn't have any trouble."

"It didn't smell right," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"The wires didn't smell right when the lights were on," I repeated.

"That must be the back-up system," he said. "We didn't touch that when we redid everything. I can look if you like? But like I told Sookie, when she called, the electricity wouldn't be turned on." He was obviously more at ease now that we were speaking professionally. "She said that Mrs. Stackhouse was going to vouch for you with the electric company until you set up your account. It should all be working just fine now."

"Mrs. Stackhouse vouched for me?" I asked.

"Yep," he said, looking up at the house instead of at me. "That's why I'm here, frankly. Stackhouses are good folk, and they certainly ain't fools. 'Cept Jason. He's a fool…" He shook his head and smiled the same indulgent smile everyone had for Jason Stackhouse. "I used to run with Corbett. Everyone was real busted up when he died." He sighed, and we both looked up at the house. "I love this house," he said. "I remember coming here with my daddy – he did some work for old Mr. Compton. They just don't build them like this anymore." He smiled at me and nodded to the house. "That's all cypress wood in there – you can't even buy it anymore. It's older than dirt, but it'll outlast all of us."

"My father built this house," I said.

"Oh…" Phil blushed and tapped out a fresh cigarette. He offered the pack to me. I shook my head. "Right…" he said. "You wouldn't…"

"Thank you," I said.

The sharp smell of sulfur filled my nose as the match snapped. "Just as well, you know. These things are gonna kill me… Anything else I can help with?" he asked around the cigarette. "You might could get someone cheaper from Monroe, but my brother and I stand by our work. We'd do real good by you."

"Yes," I said. "Actually, there are a few things." I walked up the stairs and immediately smelled fresh signs of Sookie. I hesitated, trying to catch the scent around the smell of the cigarette.

"Everything okay?" Phil asked.

"Yes," I said, distracted as I opened the front door. She'd been here recently, during the day, and I didn't know why. Phil dragged deeply on the cigarette, rubbed the end briskly so the ash dropped into the grass, and pocketed the butt. He bent down and retrieved the other dropped one and added that to his pocket as well before joining me.

When we walked inside, I flipped on the lights and sniffed carefully.

"That'd be real handy," he said. "Smell anything now?" He eyed me carefully.

I walked over to the walls and ran my nose close to the worn paint. I shook my head. Phil smiled. "Told you. Nothing wrong with those wires. You thinking of updating the back-up?"

"Yes," I said. "That's a good place to start. And I'd like a security system installed."

Phil pulled a pencil stub and a small notebook from his shirt pocket. He flipped to a new page and started taking notes. "You might want someone to look at the air-conditioning and heating. I know they ain't new."

I nodded. "You have people you trust?"

"Yep. Roofers, too. I don't know how old it is. I've never done work on the roof though."

"Yes," I agreed.

"Painters?" He rubbed his thumb along the peeling paint. "That's lead."

"It's fine for now," I said. "I won't eat the chips."

He stared at me for a moment. "Right," he said. "Want someone to look at the chimney?" he asked, nodding to the fireplace.

"Yes please."

We walked through to the kitchen. I flipped on the lights and smelled the walls again. Phil smiled at me. "Wiring's good," he said.

"I want all these appliances removed," I said, my nose wrinkling in disgust at the lingering scent of food and humans. "As soon as possible."

"You want us to buy new ones for you?"

"No," I said. Unbidden, the image of Sookie picking out new things for the kitchen flashed through my mind. "I'll replace them later, although I'll probably call you for instillation."

"Fair 'nough," he said. "There's that Lowe's in Shreveport that stays open special a few nights a month. For… well…" he waved his hand at me before clearing his throat. "What about the cabinets?"

"Those are original," I said.

"Yeah, I'm not talkin' 'bout the outsides. The insides. They do neat things now with kitchen cabinets. Organizers and sliding drawers and things."

"I don't need to organize a lot of kitchenware," I said.

Phil coughed and looked around. When we walked upstairs, and he saw the work I'd done in the master bath, I could see he was impressed.

"You did this?" he said, squatting down and running his hand over the floor I'd just refinished.

I nodded.

"It's real good work."

"Thank you," I said. "And through here," I indicated the smallest bedroom. His cell phone rang, and he apologized and looked to see who was calling.

"My wife," he said. "Just a sec. Yes," he said into the phone. He turned his back and stepped away, but I could hear her voice as easily as if she'd been on speaker phone.

"Are you at that vampire house?" she demanded.

"Baby, I'm in the middle of something right now," he quietly said.

"You suicidal?" Her voice was tense and angry. "First Maudette Pickens, and now Dawn Greene from Merlotte's. That thing is going to drain you dry!"

"We'll talk about it when I get home," he said.

"When?" she demanded.

"About ten more minutes," I quietly answered.

Phil jumped and spun around. When he looked at me, there was fear in his eyes. "I'll call when I'm on my way." He snapped the phone shut and pocketed it with trembling fingers. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Compton," he said. "She don't mean nothing by it. She doesn't even know you. Any vampires, for that matter. She's just…"

I indicated the bedroom again. "I'd like this turned into a sauna."

"A sauna?" he said.

"A sauna," I repeated. He nodded and wrote some more notes.

"Mr. Compton," Phil said. "For what you'll pay, you'll never get it back out. No one's going spend that kind of money on a house out here."

"I'm not planning on selling," I said. Phil cleared his throat again. "I want the master bathroom to have its own on-demand water heater," I continued. "And please replace the house's water heater as well. I want the most powerful you can get, and I'd like that to be done as quickly as possible. I'll compensate you for any inconvenience." He nodded again, still taking notes.

"You don't need two, really, if it's on-demand," he said.

"I like really hot water," I said.

He nodded. "Two it is. Is it alright if I have a crew here during the day, or would you prefer us to work at night? Working nights will cost you more."

"I don't care about the money," I said. "But it's fine to be here during the day."

"We can have the kitchen cleared and the water heaters in tomorrow, if that's alright with you?" he said as we walked downstairs and outside. "Probably the chimney and the roof people, too. I'll call 'em on my way home. A lot of crew's looking for work right now." We stood next to his truck, and he lit another cigarette. "Sauna's going to take some time."

"I'm in no hurry for everything else, but thank you," I said.

"This a good number to contact you?" he asked as he looked at his phone and read my cell number.

"That's my cell phone," I said.

"If we have anything that comes up during the day, what should we do?"

"Leave a voicemail," I said. "Or just wait and speak to me that evening." I focused on the fresh trace of Sookie again. "Or contact Miss Stackhouse," I quickly added.

"Sookie Stackhouse?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I didn't respond, and he made another note in his book. "Alright then." He closed the book and returned it to his shirt pocket. "Mr. Compton, about my wife…" he began.

"Goodnight, Mr. Thibodeaux," I said. "And thank you." He nodded, got into his truck and drove off.

As soon as his taillights disappeared around the curve, I raced to the porch, got on my knees, and smelled carefully. Yes. Sookie had been here. I crawled around the porch and smelled her on the glass by the door, and I smelled her on the steps. She's sat on those steps, and I could smell her pleasure. I couldn't help but smile as I grazed my fingertips over the steps. Last night she'd said to go away, but then she'd come by during the day. I considered my latest Sookie-dream, and I once again came to the conclusion that she'd been in the sun and thinking of me. I inhaled the sweetness of her arousal one more time before running to Merlotte's.

When I arrived, the parking lot was packed. While Sam Merlotte did a comfortable business, both for the good food and the lack of alternatives in Bon Temps, it was busy. I walked in, nodded to Tara, who was tending bar, and slid into the last available booth. I tried to pretend like I didn't notice the chatter stop or hear the "It's that vampire" whispers. The pool balls cracked loudly from the corner, and I saw Sookie waiting on someone else.

The other waitress, the one with too much perfume and fake red hair, forced a smile when she came to my table. "What you want?" she asked.

I smiled politely. "May I have a bottle of O Negative, please."

"Um, A Negative's all we got," she said.

"A Negative, then." The various types tasted different, but it was subtle; they were all metallic and horrible. "Pretty crowded in here tonight," I added conversationally as she made a note on her pad. "Something going…" The woman walked away without answering before I could finish. "On?"

I saw Sookie from the corner of my eye. I felt her displeasure at the other woman. I felt her sadness for me.

"Sam just bought a case," Tara said to the waitress at the bar. "O Neg and A Neg. Plenty of each." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and wondered how long it would take humans to realize vampires have exceptional hearing.

"Fuck him," the woman said. "I'm givin' him A. And don't microwave it, neither. He can have it cold."

"You are so bad," Tara said as she walked to the cooler.

"Are we out of O?" Sookie asked. Her voice had a polite edge that sounded dangerous, and I smiled to myself that Sookie was defending me. Sam, who was standing at a nearby table with other patrons, glared at me and growled low in his chest. The humans wouldn't have been able to hear, but I couldn't stop from smiling at him and his reaction.

"Blood is blood," the waitress said. "What difference does it make?"

"He prefers O," she said. "I'll take it to him if you like."

"Good," the other waitress said. "He gives me the creeps." She hurried off as Tara took the bottle of A. I heard the cooler door open again, and this time I also heard the microwave.

Sookie walked over to me and put the blood on the table. I smiled at her. "Come on," she said as she pulled my hand, the same as she did in my dream.

I grabbed the TruBlood to free up the table as I allowed myself to be led like a child. "Where we going?" I asked. As I passed him, Sam growled again.

Sookie held onto my hand as we walked outside and down the steps and out into the parking lot. It wasn't until we were standing a distance from the bar that she let go, turned, and faced me.

"You know my friend who works here?" she asked. "Dawn?" I thought of the dark-haired woman whose tight bottom teased from her short-shorts. "Someone killed her last night."

A second dead woman Sookie's age. "How?" I demanded.

"Say you're sorry," Sookie shortly said.

"Excuse me?"

"You want to learn to fit in? You have to say you're sorry. You don't even have to mean it. Lord knows they don't most of the time." Sookie rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively towards the bar. I felt a flash of her disgust and her exhaustion, feelings that so closely resembled my own.

"I am sorry," I said, and it was true.

"Thank you," she stiffly replied. "Anyway, I'm the one who found her. Strangled. Cops think it was my brother."  
"Was it?"

"No," she said, leveling her eyes at me. "He's not capable of that."

"I've been around long enough to know just about anyone's capable of just about anything," I said.

"He didn't do it," she insisted. I nodded. "So I've been listening in on people's thoughts, hoping I might hear something to clear him, and apparently there's this vampire bar where Maudette and Dawn used to hang out at in Shreveport." I looked away from her, bracing for what I knew was coming: everyone assumed a vampire had killed them. "You know it?"

I tore the corner of my TruBlood label. "Fangtasia," I said.

"_Fang-tasia_?" Sookie raised her eyebrows and said the word as if she didn't know whether or not to laugh.

I quickly defended Eric: "You have to remember most vampires are very old. Puns used to be the highest form of humor," I explained.

Still looking amused, she nodded. "Well, I was thinking if I went there I could do some sniffing around. You think maybe you could take me?"

I smile. "How about tonight?"

"The sooner the better," she said. "I just have to tell Sam I'm leaving and run home and change."

I nodded. "Meet you there." I stepped closer to her, reveling in her scent and the knowledge that she was mine and the thought that soon I would walk into Fangtasia with Sookie on my arm.

"Thank you." I could feel her excitement, and I moved even closer, close enough to kiss her. "Bill," she said, pulling away from me as I leaned in. "I'm asking you this as a friend, okay? This is not a date."

Despite her words or what she might be thinking, I knew what she was feeling, and she was way beyond friendly. But I could be patient. "Fine," I agreed, nodding my head.

She laughed flirtatiously. "It's not a date," she repeated. "I'm serious."

"As am I."

She huffed at me before flipping her ponytail as she walked away. Her hips swung unnecessarily, and I couldn't stop myself from appreciating the view of her backside.

As she entered the bar, I ran back home to get my car. I sat on the porch and waited until I heard her in the driveway before driving over myself, wanting to give her ample time to change. My mind wandered to Eric, and I hoped he wouldn't be at Fangtasia, but he usually was.

Lorena always spoke so respectfully of Eric the Northman, and when he'd come to the United States with his newborn Child early in 1900, the vampire community reeled. It was widely whispered that he would try to take over the continent, being so old and so powerful. Everyone was surprised when he settled into relative obscurity in the South, seemingly enjoying life's pleasures and avoiding as much of the politics as he could given his age. Fangtasia was but a drop in the bucket of his vastly diverse, international financial empire, but he lorded over it like a child playing king of the hill. Even before the Great Revelation, it was a famous vampire bar; the humans were under the impression it was just other humans playing at being vampire. Now, of course, he catered to the tourists as well as the hard-core fangbangers and vampires looking for willing donors, and people traveled miles to pay too much for their drinks and walk on the wild-side with real, dead vampires.

Eric was the only vampire other than Lorena who'd had my blood. If I ever went into battle, I wanted him to have my back. He was exceptionally intelligent, fierce, loyal, fair, and far-sighted. He would stop at nothing to avenge a wrong or punish a traitor, and he was known for his uncanny ability to get what he wanted. As Lorena adeptly summed up when teaching me about our kind, he was a survivor. He made a millennia look easy. There was a reason the Queen wanted to keep Sookie from him, and as I drove to her house, I rationalized taking her there by telling myself she'd go without me if I didn't, which would be even more disastrous.

"Mr. Compton," Mrs. Stackhouse breathed when she opened the door. "Thank goodness!" She held the door open for me and gestured me into the living room. I heard Sookie upstairs; the clomp of heels on the wood floors was rushed and excited. "I'm afraid this is all my fault."

"What is?" I asked.

"I asked Sookie to see if she could clear Jason," Mrs. Stackhouse said. She sat close to me on the sofa and took my hand. "I didn't intend for her to put herself in harm's way in the process. If something happens to her…"

"Nothing will happen to Sookie," I assured her.

"Do you give me your word?"

"Yes," I solemnly answered. "I'll protect her with my own life."

"I've heard about that bar," Mrs. Stackhouse quietly said. She blushed. "All kinds of stories. Things you can't hardly dare to believe."

"No harm will come to Sookie," I vowed.

She nodded. "Alright. You know, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't let her go."

"Thank you for your trust," I said. She nodded again. "About tomorrow night?" I said to distract her. "I'll come here as soon as I'm able, and we'll go to the church together?"

"That sounds wonderful, Mr. Compton, thank you."

We heard Sookie on the stairs, and I stood to greet her.

"Sookie, you look lovely," Mrs. Stackhouse said as she rose to give Sookie a light kiss on the cheek.

Lovely was an understatement. I didn't even need to breathe, and Sookie took my breath away. She was wearing an old-fashioned looking white dress with little red flowers. The shirt was full, and it made her waist look incredibly small. Her hair was long and soft around her shoulders, pulled back with a simple red band.

"Doesn't she look beautiful, Mr. Compton," Mrs. Stackhouse said as I stood there staring with my mouth slightly open.

"Yes, ma'am," I stammered. "Shall we?" I asked Sookie, offering my arm.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Drive careful," Mrs. Stackhouse said as we walked outside. "Don't drink too much." Sookie giggled and blushed, and I cleared my throat unnecessarily as Mrs. Stackhouse waved and closed the front door.

"Well, that was just plain embarrassing," she said. "You have a car?" I held open the door for her, but she continued to stare and not move towards it. "A really nice car."

I smiled. "How else would I get around?" I asked.

She smiled back, still looking surprised, and daintily sat down, tucking her dress in. I closed the door and walked at human speed around to the driver's side. When I got in, she said, "It's just so ordinary."

"The mechanical wonder that is a finely engineered German automobile is anything but ordinary," I said as we drove down the driveway and pulled out onto the road.

She laughed. "I just expected something…" she smiled. "I don't know. Something else."

"Sometimes it is more convenient just to drive."

I set my iPod to shuffle, and we drove in comfortable silence some time.

***

I'd last seen Eric and Pam at Fangtasia five years earlier, when he asked me to set up some computer programs for the books and security cameras. It was my last stop before leaving for Asia. Eric had recently opened the bar, and Pam had only just returned to him. That night, Pam was wearing a red leather dress that left little to the imagination, and Eric simply wore black leather pants and a belt that he must've had as a human. I smiled and shook my head when Pam showed me to Eric's booth.

"Don't you grow tired of them staring like you're an animal at the zoo?" I asked.

"Still running, Bill?" Eric said. "You do realize that where ever you go, there you are?"

Pam quietly laughed. "Fucking idiot," she said in Swedish. I kept my face blank, choosing to let them think I didn't understand when they spoke to each other like that. After I'd stayed with them the first time, I decided it'd be prudent to learn Swedish. Never forgetting anything made learning new languages a relatively simple task.

"Not really," Eric replied in Swedish, still looking at me. "And he's both useful and loyal. As I recall, not too long ago, you fancied him." Pam rolled her eyes as Eric smirked. "You're just pissed he rejected you."

Pam huffed and headed back to the door, glaring at both of us as she left.

"What do you think of my little project?" Eric asked in English as he gestured around the room. Decorated in black and red, it had a closed, cave-like feel. The music was pulsing, and the lights were dim. Movie posters of all the famous vampires adorned the wall, along with signs that read, "No Biting on the Premises."

"A vampire bar?" I said. "That seems unnecessarily risky."

Eric shrugged. "I'm a man of vision," he said. "When we come out, everyone will already know this place. Besides, for the moment, the humans think it's a game." He smiled at me, and his fangs slide down. "They come in with their dog collars and velvet capes and fake fangs. We don't even have to heal the bites; they think it's all part of the fun." He shook his head. "You want in?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm offering you a partnership, Bill. Quite an honor for a deviant such as yourself. Pam's in, of course, but I'd like a third party. Interested?"

"No, thank you," I said. "I really must leave."

"You don't dislike us as much as you'd like to think you do, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Come, Bill," he said, leaning back in the booth, his chest muscles rippling handsomely. He'd been turned at the peak of his human life. "I didn't survive this long by being stupid or unobservant. You're afraid of me, which just makes good sense as I could easily destroy you, and you want to hate us, me and Pam, because we've embraced our vampiric nature and you don't. But you simply hate yourself."

"This is all very interesting," I said.

"It is," he insisted. "And frankly, refusing Pam was just plain stupid. She's exceptionally gifted, and I would know." He looked like the cat who ate the canary.

"It wasn't personal," I began. "She's lovely. I'm merely cautious…"

Eric waved his hand to interrupt. "She'll not forget it, Bill, and I think we both understand the dangerous nature of scorned women." He sighed. "Might I offer a piece of friendly advice?" Before I could respond, he continued. "This inner-turmoil of yours doesn't bode well for your longevity. And it'd be inconvenient for me if you died."

"Thank you for the consideration," I dryly replied.

"Don't mention it," he said. He leaned towards me, his elbows resting on the table. "Be careful over there. The announcement is coming, and who knows how governments will react. You could find yourself trapped and alone."

"I'll be fine," I said.

Eric sat back and shrugged. "Suit yourself. You know how to reach me if you get into trouble." A group of new humans walked into the bar, and a young Hispanic man looked pointedly at Eric. "Ah," he sighed. "Now that's nice." The man was little more than a boy, his hips still slender and his face smooth. His lips were deliciously lush. "For the road, Bill?" Eric quietly asked.

I swallowed. "Eric, I don't know…"

"You think they care one iota for the cows ground up to make their hamburgers?" Eric said. "Stop tormenting yourself. It's tiresome." He nodded to the boy, rose to his impressive height, and started across the bar towards the employee door. "Bill," he said when he reached the door. I heard him clearly over the music. "Come."

The were DJ saw what was happening, and he turned up the music even more. Pam motioned another vampire to man the door, and she casually stood guard as I walked through to Eric's office, rolling her eyes at me as I passed. "Asshole," she muttered in Swedish.

Eric was already stripped and laying on the red leather sofa, and the boy was naked, taking Eric deeply into his mouth. Eric looked at me and smiled before leaning back his head and closing his eyes. He stroked the boy's hair roughly, forcing him to take him even deeper. The boy didn't flinch when I came up behind him, easing myself into his hot tightness. It was good despite being careful to not hurt him, and when I felt myself close, I leaned over and buried my fangs into his neck.

I drank deeply, moaning as I swallowed, and Eric leaned forward, his tongue darting out to catch the fallen drops on the boy's chest. We both pulled away before our release, not wanting our blood in the boy, and I quickly leaned in to take Eric into my mouth as I felt his hand on me. He didn't pull out as he came, and I swallowed his blood as I released into his hand. His piercing blue eyes never left mine, and he slowly licked my blood from his fingers.

***

"Penny for your thoughts," Sookie finally said.

"I thought you liked not knowing what I'm thinking."

"Most of the time I do."

I looked over at her, sitting so primly, and I questioned my sanity for bringing her. "You won't care for it," I said with determined concentration on the road.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to know," she said.

I sighed and looked at her again, wondering how much I should tell her. "You look like vampire bait," I finally said.

She laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?  
"I promised your grandmother no harm would come to you at Fantgasia tonight," I said. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep that promise with you dressed like this."

Sookie looked pleased, and I felt her confidence flare in the bond. She looked at me through her eyelashes and coyly asked, "So are you saying you think I look nice?"  
I smiled. "Doesn't matter what I think. This isn't a date, remember?" I looked her up and down before turning my attention back to the road. Sookie blushed and looked away, and the delicious aroma of her blood and her pleasure filled the small confines of my car. I felt her satisfaction, and even without the blood, I would've known that, despite her protestations and her need to play super-sleuth, this was a date.

***

Habit forced me to be prepared for catastrophe. When I parked under a tree on a side street near the back entrance, Sookie raised her eyebrow at me. "These shoes weren't made for hiking, Bill," she said.

"I'll carry you," I offered.

"No thanks," she quickly snapped. "I was just wondering why we're parked all the way over here. The door's there," she pointed to the light spilling out onto the otherwise dark street.

"Humor me," I said.

She nodded, and we headed towards the door. Fangbangers dressed in black leather and latex loitered around the parking lot and the front of the bar. I was pleased to see that the buses had already departed for the night, although the bar would always have a certain number of tourists. As we got near the door, I felt Sookie's nervousness as she must've realized how she stood out in her dress, and I protectively put my arm around her waist. She looked at me, and when I nodded, she let it go, and walked inside together.

Pam, looking stunning in a black leather corset, was manning the door. "Bill," she said, her tone bored and dry. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm mainstreaming," I said, carefully counting vampire heads in the room. Besides for Pam and Eric and Longshadow behind the bar, there were two dancers on tables and four others. I was older than everyone but Eric and Longshadow.

"Good for you," Pam said, rolling her eyes. "Who's the doll?"

"Pam, this is Sookie," I said. "Sookie, this is Pam."

"Pleased to meet you," Sookie said cheerfully as she held out her hand. I pushed it down gently and shook my head, angry at myself for not telling her about our most basic customs.

Pam sneered at me before saying, "Can I see your ID?"

"Sure," Sookie said. "How funny. Who'd a thought? Getting carded at a vampire bar…" She obviously spoke without thinking when she was nervous, which could be a dangerous habit.

"I can no longer tell human ages," Pam said, memorizing the ID card. We must be careful we serve no minors. In any capacity." Her cold gaze never left Sookie, not even when I looked at her. Sookie blushed and leaned into my side. "25, huh?" Pam said as she handed back Sookie's wallet. "How sweet it is…"

Before Pam could make the situation worse, I gently steered Sookie into the bar. Fangtasia had changed little since vampires came out. There were two vampire dancers up on tables and tourists, complete with cameras around their necks and a gift shop with t-shirts, but otherwise it was the same bar I remembered.

"This feels a little like what Vampire Bar would feel like if it were a ride at Disney World," Sookie said. I smiled, thinking that was exactly what Eric had in mind when he decorated it, and I watched as she averted her eyes from a woman wearing only tape over her nipples leaning against the bar.

"Don't get too comfortable," I said. "It tends to get more authentic as the night wears on." Electrical Tape Woman eyed me as if I were livestock, and Sookie glared. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Please," Sookie said. I put my hand on the small of her back and guided her gently to the bar.

"How's it going, Bill?" Longshadow asked. Never one of my favorite people, I smiled politely. I didn't understand why Eric chose him as the third partner.

"Very well," I said as I leaned against the bar next to Sookie.

"I'll say," Longshadow leered at Sookie. "This your meal for tonight?"  
"This is my friend, Sookie," I corrected. "Sookie, Longshadow."

"Nice to meet you," Sookie smiled. Longshadow continued to leer. After an uncomfortable moment, Sookie said, "I'll have a gin and tonic, please."

"And I'll have a bottle of O Negative," I added. The male vampire dancer, who was wearing leather underwear and a vest, gyrated his hips and beckoned me with a finger. Before Sookie could comment or think on it too much, I remembered her stated mission and quickly redirected. "Longshadow, Sookie would like to know if she could as you a few questions. Would this be acceptable?"

"I just have a couple of pictures I'd love you to take a look at," Sookie said as she handed two photographs across the bar. Longshadow set them down and continued to mix her drink. "Do you recognize either of these women?"

"Yeah," he said. "I've seen them both here before."

"Great, thank you," Sookie said. "And do you also happen to remember who they hung around with?"

"That's something we don't notice around here," Longshadow said, looking at me. "You won't either."

"Okay, then," Sookie said. "I appreciate you taking the time."

"This one," he said, holding up the photo of the woman who hadn't worked with Sookie. "She wanted to die."

"How do you know?" Sookie asked.

"Everyone who comes here does, in their own way," he said, once again speaking to me. "That's what we are – death."

I handed him a folded twenty dollar bill, picked up the drinks, and walked to an empty table. Sookie perched on the tall stool while I stood close to her, wanting to quickly intervene if necessary. I watched as she took a sip of her drink and looked around the bar. "How's your drink?" I asked.

"A gin and tonic's pretty much a gin and tonic no matter where you drink it," she said.

"I know exactly what you mean," I said, indicating the bottle of TruBlood. I watched as a small, balding man gazed lovingly at Eric and started a slow approach to where he sat on his throne-like chair. I cringed, thinking what Sookie was about to see, and I hoped the man had a shred of self-preservation.

"Who's that?" Sookie asked, meaning Eric.

"Oh, you noticed him did you?" I wanted to kick myself as soon as I spoke, as if she wouldn't notice a 6'5 Viking sitting on a throne.

"No," she quickly said. "It's not like that…. I just…"

"Everyone does," I said. I saw Eric turned his head ever so slightly and look at us. "That's Eric. He's the oldest thing in this bar."

The balding man was crawling on his knees now, and Eric looked vaguely bored. He acted as if he didn't see the man. But when the human reached with a trembling hand to touch Eric's knee, Eric kicked faster than the humans could see. The man flew across the room, crashing through one of the low tables with a bleeding cut on his head. Fangs clicked into place all around him as the scent of blood filled the room.

"Hi," a female vampire said as she held out a helping hand. "I'm Taryn." The man was dazed, but he took her hand, and she pulled him gently to his feet. I watched as they slipped through the employees door.

"Still think you're in Disney World?" I asked Sookie. She sheepishly looked around, not meeting my gaze. I watched as she closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating. I skillfully scanned the room for any dangers, and I was pleased to see that Eric continued to ignore us. I felt his irritation, but I didn't know if it was directed at me or not.

I enjoyed observing Sookie unnoticed. I saw her pulse in her neck. I watched as she occasionally brought the glass to her lips to sip. She had the habit of biting her bottom lip when she was thinking. I considered asking her dance, and I wondered what it would feel like to have her moving in my arms. A song I liked came on, and I couldn't help but move slightly to the music. I liked to dance.

"You able to pick up anything?" I finally asked.

Sookie shook her head and rolled her eyes. "All anyone's thinking about here is sex, sex, sex."

I smiled. "One needn't be telepathic to pick up on that," I said. She blushed and looked away for what felt like the thousandth time since I'd known her. I loved the smell of her blood rushing to the surface, but I enjoyed looking into her eyes more. I watched as Pam skillfully slipped to Eric's side. She whispered to him, and then they both looked to us. "Uh-oh," I said under my breath.

"Don't say uh-oh," she said. "Vampires are not supposed to say uh-oh."

"It's Eric. He's scanned you twice. He's going to summon us."

"He can do that?"

"Oh yeah," I said. At that moment, Eric motioned us to him. I raised my eyebrows to Sookie, and then I offered her my hand. She held on tightly as I escorted her across the bar and up the platform to Eric's throne.

"Bill Compton," Eric said. "It has been a while." His voice was soft, but I knew he was angry that I hadn't called.

"Yes, well, I've been…"

"Mainstreaming," he interrupted with a grin. "I heard." He turned and looked at Sookie. "I see that is going well for you."

"Yes, of course," I quickly said. "Sorry. Eric, this is my friend…"

"Sookie Stackhouse," he interrupted again.

"How do you know my name?" Sookie asked.

"I never forget a pretty face," Pam chimed in. "You're in my vault." She tapped a single finger to her forehead.

"Great," Sookie said. "That's just great." She turned to Eric and smiled, ever the Southern Belle. "It's nice to meet you."

"Well aren't you sweet?" Eric said.

"Not really," Sookie snapped back. I felt the flare of Eric's interest, and I gripped Sookie's hand, willing her to not call anymore attention to herself. But I knew Eric, and more than likely, it was already too late.

Eric looked up at Pam and spoke in Swedish, "The zoo is getting interesting."

"Yes it is," she smiled back. Both looked amused and smug.

"Miss Stackhouse," Eric said. "I understand you've been asking questions about some of my customers."

"Yes. I have."

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it of me," he said.

"Alrighty," Sookie replied. I felt her determination as she pulled her photographs out of her purse and handed them to Eric. "You recognize either one of these girls?"

Eric studied the photos. "Hmmmm," he rumbled, as if he needed to think about it. "This one offered herself to me, but I found her too pathetic for my attentions." He indicated the same girl Longshadow said wanted to die. "Now this one, however," he said of the girl who worked with Sookie. "I have tasted."

"I remember them both," Pam added.

"On account of the vault?" Sookie snapped. I squeezed her hand again as I felt a fresh wave of amusement and curiousity from Eric.

"Never had either of them, though," Pam continued. "They weren't really my type."

Sookie didn't bat an eye at that revelation. She simply took back her photos and returned them to her purse. "Well, thank you very much. That is all your time I need to take."

"I'm not finished with you yet," Eric snapped. He smiled. "Please," he said more pleasantly. "Sit." He gestured to one of the chairs on the side of his throne. Sookie looked nervously at me, and I nodded. I gently squeezed her hand, and I didn't let it go until she was seated. "So, Bill…" Eric continued, not looking at me. "Are you quite attached to your friend?"

I stepped forward and leveled my eyes at him. "She is mine."

"Yes," Sookie chimed in. "I am his."

"What a pity…" Eric said. "For me." He licked his lips before turning back to me. "Sit with us. We have catching up, you and I. It has been too long."

"Yes," I said as I sat. Despite the invitation, Eric continued to shamelessly appraise Sookie.

"We have to get out of here," Sookie suddenly said.

"Sookie," I warned.

"Eric, the cops are coming," she said. "There's going to be a raid."

I felt Eric's anger although his voice was calm. "Tell me you're not an undercover cop."

"I'm not," Sookie said. "But that man in the hat is." We all turned and looked at a man who was dancing quite poorly near us. When he realized we were all looking at him, he quickly looked away.

"Even if you're right," Eric said. "We do nothing illegal here."

"There's a vampire named Taryn in the ladies room with that man you kicked earlier," Sookie said. "She's feeding on him."

"How do you know this?" Pam asked.

Sookie looked to me, and I shook my head. But before she could say anything else, the door was kicked open to the cry of "Police! Police!" Mayhem swiftly followed, as humans scattered, glasses crashed to the floor, chairs and tables were overturned, and the cops started grabbing every person they could get their hands on.

"Follow me," Eric said as he moved off the platform and towards an emergency exit. Once we were outside, I quickly scooped up Sookie and started heading towards the car. Eric smiled. "I enjoyed meeting you, Miss Stackhouse. You will come again." At that, he and Pam both flew into the night, and I ran with Sookie as quickly as I could to the car. I put her in the passenger seat and quickly fastened her seatbelt before flashing around to my side. The engine quietly came to life, and I eased onto the street and away from the chaos of the bar.

"Good thinking," she murmured. "Not parking in the lot."

"Habit," I said. Sookie nodded, and neither of us spoke as I quickly headed out of Shreveport and back towards Bon Temps.

We'd been driving for several minutes when a song came on that played often at the club I frequented during my stay in Phnom Penh. I considered telling Sookie about the beauty of Cambodia, but I sensed she needed quiet.

I'd meant to only pass through, gathering as much information for my database as I could, but something about Cambodia soothed me: the hot, wet air that was so reminiscent of home, the subtle French influence, the delicious aroma of lemongrass and tropical fruits, the politeness that kept everyone at a distance. I'd been told about a club near the Phsar Thom Thmei, the huge market in the capitol city, where my American citizenship and cash would assure few questions. That's where I met Jorani, whose name meant radiant jewel. And she was radiant. She was nursing, and I had a love of pregnant and nursing blood, although both required a certain gentleness and control that could be difficult.

One night, we were dancing when the club was raided. She'd taken my hand and led me out a back door. We walked briskly through a maze of alleyways until we arrived at what I knew was her home. She welcomed me inside, and there was an old woman waiting up at a small table. She glared at me and spoke harshly to Jorani.

"Why do you defile our home by bringing this American slime here?"

"Mama," she soothed. "The club was raided."

"So."

"He could've been arrested," she said.

"What's that to you?" her mother asked.

"He pays for your food. For your clothes," Jorani snapped. "He's a good man."

Her mother had dismissed me with her hands and drew back a curtain that revealed her bed. She snapped the cloth back and I heard her huff as she settled in for the night. At that, I heard the cry of a small child, who must've been awakened by the noise.

Jorani went behind another curtain and returned with a small child, about a year old. I'd always pretended I didn't speak Cambodian, and Jorani smiled apologetically as she gestured to the child. I smiled back, and sat down at the table. She quickly prepared a pot of tea, the child perched expertly on her hip. When it was ready, she sat down and opened her shirt for the child to nurse.

I held the cup of tea and brought it to my lips, watching discretely as the child greedily latched on and suckled.

"Can we turn this down?" Sookie asked, bringing me back to the present. I did immediately. "What language are they speaking anyhow?"

"Cambodian," I said. "You not like it?"

Sookie reached over and turned it off. "You think we can pull over a minute?" she asked. "I need things to stop."

"Sure," I said. I scanned ahead and found a small turnoff in the woods. I pulled over and turned off the car.

"I just need a couple minutes of quiet; then we can go."

"I'm in no hurry," I assured her. "You take your time."

She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke again. "I'm sorry if I got you into any trouble tonight."

"Don't apologize," I said. "We vampires are always in some kind of trouble. I prefer to be in it with you."

I looked at her, and my eyes drifted down to her lips. She smiled briefly, and I felt her desire mirror my own. Sookie leaned closer, and I leaned closer, and just as I was about the kiss her, I heard the siren and saw the lights flash behind us.

"This can't be happening," Sookie said. I growled and sat back in my seat, angry and frustrated at the interruption.

The cop tapped on the window with his flashlight. "Open up," he demanded.

"Open the window and let me do the talking, okay?" Sookie quietly said as she leaned over me. I opened the window and Sookie smiled brightly. "Hello officer."

"Evening, miss," he said, shining his light around the car. "What are you two doing out this late?"

"Driving home from a date," Sookie said without missing a beat.

"Hmmm," the cop said. "We're raiding a bar not far from here." I felt Sookie's nervousness. "Y'all coming from there by chance?"

"No," Sookie smiled. "Not us."

"It's called Fangtasia," the officer insisted, Sookie getting more nervous by the second. "That ring any bells?" Sookie looked away, and the officer turned his light to me. "How 'bout you, son? You seem awful quiet. Don't you talk?"

I gripped the steering wheel and felt the painful press of my fangs against my gums. "I'm a man of few words," I got out civilly enough.

The cop smirked. "Man of few words? I like that." He turned his attention back to Sookie. "I'll just shine this light on your neck, miss, if you don't mind."

Sookie looked to me, and I couldn't hold back any longer as my fangs slid out at the way he would defile her. "Not at all," she said, turning to the side and holding her hair out of the way.

"Why don't you ask her if you can shine it between her legs," I said.

"Excuse me," the cop said, reaching for his gun.

"Bill!" Sookie sat up and pulled her hair back.

"Vampires sometimes like to feed from the femoral artery," I explained. "The blood flows more freely down there, so one doesn't have to suck as hard. Or so I've been told." I turned to the cop and bared my fangs. He jumped and immediately pulled the gun and pointed it at me. He was fool enough to be looking at me, and it took only a second to be inside his head. "I like you gun," I said in a deep, calm voice. "Beautiful weapon."

"Thank you," he said, his voice slow and flat.

"May I have it?" I asked.

"Bill," Sookie said. "I want you to stop this right now."

"Sure," the cop said, handing me his gun. "I guess."

It'd been a long time since I'd held the gun, and I admired the craftsmanship, so different from the side-arms I was familiar with. "Nice," I said truthfully. "It's heavier than I imagined. Is it loaded?"

"Well yes. Yes it is."

"Good," I said.

"Bill, you are freaking me out," Sookie plead, but I ignored her.

"Now you listen to me, officer," I said as I pointed the gun at him. "I do not take kindly to you shining your light in the eyes of my female companion." The cop immediately lowered the beam. "And as I have more than 100 years on you, I do not take kindly to you calling me son. So the next time you pull somebody over on suspicion of being a vampire, you'd better pray to God that you're wrong because that vampire may not be as kind to you as I'm about to be.

"I'm not going to kill you, but I am going to keep your gun," I said. "That sound fair?"

"Yes," he said.

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir," he quickly replied.

"There you go," I whispered. I released him from the glamour, but I didn't erase the memory of what happened. I wanted him to remember. I wanted him to be afraid. "You have a nice night," I said. I started the car and drove off, carefully putting the gun under my seat.

Sookie was determined to not look at me as we drove home, and once more we settled into silence. It was uncomfortable, as I felt her revulsion and anger slam into me, and I turned my iPod back on for noise. I pulled up in front of her house and turned off the car.

"We've had a difficult relationship with law enforcement for many years," I explained. "The man provoked me." I wanted to add that he'd been even more insulting to her, but decided that would only make her more angry, not less. "I could've done far worse."

"I'm sure you could have, and if I hadn't been there watching, you probably would've killed that man."

"Hardly," I said.

"Would you have bit him?" she asked. I didn't want to lie. "See!" she said before I could think of a truthful and non-offensive answer. "That's just crazy. You would've fed on him and then tossed him aside like an old chicken bone. And don't tell me that's what vampires do."

She gathered her things and turned to get out of the car. I sped around to open the door for her, and she jumped. "I'm doing my best to mainstream," I said.

"Sucking the blood from a police officer is not mainstreaming," she said. "Neither is hosting orgies or listening to crazy Chinese gargling."

It took me a moment to realize that she was referring to the music we'd just been listening to. I rolled my eyes and said, "It's Tuvan throat singing."

"Whatever," she snapped. "Tuvan? I don't even know where that is."

She turned and headed towards the house, and I wanted to stop her, but I couldn't bear the thought of her rejection. I wanted to hold her in my arms and whisper about the mountains of Tuva, how the men throat-sing, the sound echoing and building, everyone bundled in furs against the frigid cold. "Sookie," I pled. "You cannot be frightened of everything you don't know in this world."

"Well, my world's opening up mighty fast. And what I've got here may be boring, but at least it's safe. And after the past couple of nights, safe sounds pretty good about now." She stepped to the door. "No," she said. "Thank you. I can get this door myself."

I stood in the yard and seethed. I felt unexpected tears prickling my eyes, and I resolved to not make myself this vulnerable. "I won't call on you again," I said. She looked at me, and then turned and unlocked the door.

As I got into the car, I saw Sam crouched in the bushes, watching. "Fucker," I growled at him as I drove off. I wasn't even home when my cell phone rang. I reached for it quickly, hoping it was Sookie, but it was Eric.

"Hello," I said.

"This is all very curious, Bill," he said without a greeting. "First, you relocate to my territory, but you don't call. Not so much as a "Hi. I'm back in the country. I'm not dead." Then I get a call from Andre, Andre of all people, telling me that you're exempt from my service because you're fucking the Queen."

"He said that?" I asked.

"In so many words," Eric replied. "But we all know that's not true. I know the Queen, and I'm sure she would like to fuck you, but I know you, too…"

"Eric, can we talk about this later? This isn't the best time."

"And then you turn up tonight," he said, ignoring my request. "With you human in tow, as if nothing had happened. If I'm not mistaken, you've never claimed a human before."

"So?" I said.

"She's most… curious…" he said. I wanted to inform him that "curious" didn't begin to describe Sookie, but I held my tongue. "Miss Stackhouse…" he said, his voice trailing off. "What is she?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Psychic?" he asked. "I had a psychic once. The blood was incredible."

"She's not psychic," I truthfully answered.

"Then what is she?" I didn't answer. After a long silence, Eric asked "What's the game, Bill?"

"Excuse me?"  
"Don't fuck with me," he said. "I'll ask you once more because we're friends. What's the game?"

"There isn't one."

"You're a terrible liar," he said right before the line went dead.


	6. Chapter 6

Sixth Night

I drifted awake to soft kisses and gentle fingers tugging my hair. I realized I was naked, and I wondered how Sookie was able to enter my resting place and undress me. Without opening my eyes, I moved her hand down, licking and sucking her fingers as they passed my lips, down across my chest where they lingered, pinching my nipples, and lower. I pressed her hand to my throbbing hardness and thrust into her palm. "Mmmm," I moaned into her mouth as she kissed me and her hand gripped and stroked my length.

"Oh, William," Lorena whispered as her fangs clicked into place. My eyes flew open, and when I jerked away from her kiss, her tongue probed the tender flesh of my ear. "No one fucks like you do," she said before gently biting into my lobe.

"How did you get here?"

"William," she quietly laughed as she threw one naked leg over mine. "I'm always here."

"This is a dream," I insisted. "It has to be a dream."

"It's the truth. You're my world."

"No," I said. "You released me."

She threw back her head and laughed, the vein visible in her delicate neck. She straddled me and bit her tongue. When she kissed me, her blood dripped into my mouth and down my throat. I felt our blocked bond open, and I was consumed by her again, my blood desperately needing her even as my mind fought her control.

"Ahhh," she moaned as she eased me into her tight wetness. "You are mine, William."

"No." I struggled to reach the trapdoor, but she pinned my hands above my head as she rode me.

"Oh yes," she sighed, her nails drawing blood on my wrists. "And if she knew you, your little pet would hate you."

"No," I said again, and I felt the tears collect in my eyes.

Lorena laughed and licked my tears, and I immediately felt my blood in her. "She never loved you."

"She does," I whispered, and even I didn't believe it.

"You are mine," she hissed. "Forever."

"Mr. Compton, that shade of blue is particularly flattering," Mrs. Stackhouse said when she answered the door.

I fingered my open collar and wondered again if I should've worn a tie. "Um… Thank you." I cleared my throat, tugged gently on my cuffs, and smiled. "Are you ready, Mrs. Stackhouse?"

"I am," she said, locking the door behind her. "I'm sorry I didn't invite you in, but we're in a bit of a rush."

"Oh no. It's fine," I assured her as I offered her my arm and walked her to the car. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?"

"Oh no," she insisted as I helped her into the driver's seat before walking around. "You're doing me a great favor tonight; it's the least I can do."

Sookie's car wasn't parked in its usual place, and I was more than a little distracted by the fact that I'd dreamed of Lorena's voice instead of sun-lit Sookie. My speaking at the meeting was for Sookie, and it would be unbearable if she weren't there.

"Will Sookie be coming tonight?" I asked in what I hoped was a casual voice as we drove towards town.

"She had to work, but she said she'd just make it," Mrs. Stackhouse said. I nodded and hoped I hid my relief. "You know," she continued. "I think it's a good sign that y'all had a fight."

"She told you?" I asked, surprised.

"I got the gist of it," Mrs. Stackhouse said. "If she didn't care for you, she wouldn't bother making a fuss."

"That's certainly one way of looking at it," I said.

"Sookie is Sookie," Mrs. Stackhouse sighed. "She's always been head-strong." She smiled. "I can't really hold that against her; I've been known to be a bit stubborn myself." She laughed. "But she's never accepted that she's different. She's still hanging onto the hope that if she just tries hard enough, she can have a normal life."

"You don't think she can?"

"She's not normal," Mrs. Stackhouse said. "Surely you realize that." I nodded. "She'll never be able to live like she wants to. It's not in her cards, and we have to play the hand we're dealt. Until she acknowledges that, I'm afraid she'll never be happy."

"So you don't object to me?" I quietly asked.

Mrs. Stackhouse patted my hand. "Mr. Compton," she began. "Bill… May I call you Bill?" I nodded as she pulled into the church parking lot, and she turned to face me, placing one warm hand on my cheek. "I've never given up hope that Sookie would find someone to share her life with. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I've worried that she'd be alone when I'm gone. She smiles for you like she never has for another soul…" Her voice trailed off, and I found myself holding my breath. "There's something special about you. I can feel it. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and Sookie can certainly get her dander up, but any woman would be lucky to have you."

I shook my head and looked away. "You don't know what I'm capable of, what I've done," I whispered.

She smiled and repeated my own words back to me: "We all have our crosses to bear, Bill." Mrs. Stackhouse moved to exit the car, and I flashed around to her side to open the door. She jumped, and then she laughed as I offered her my hand. "Oh! That's just wonderful. Sookie is so lucky I'm too old for such foolishness, or I'd do my best to convince you to court me instead." I chucked as she took my arm, and we walked towards the door. "Oh, and cufflinks! I miss cufflinks… Do I need to go in first and invite you?" she asked.

"Thank you, but no ma'am," I said. "Only someone's home."

"That's just so fascinating. But enough with the ma'ams. If I get to call you Bill, I insist that you call me Adele. I'd like that."

I smiled. "I would too."

She left me in the kitchen with a bottle of TruBlood before going to play hostess for the evening. Alone in the darkened room, I concentrated on the hum that was Sookie in the back of my mind. There was a nervousness along the bond, a restlessness. I felt doubt and just a tinge of uncertainty. It was frustrating that I could sense it, but I didn't know why it was there. Was she worried for me, or because of me? Was it something else entirely, or was my mood seeping into her? I'd never bonded with a human, and I almost wished I had, if only so I understood how to interpret the new sensations.

I felt it when she headed towards town, closer to me, and I couldn't stop myself from sighing in relief. It was the same with Lorena, and even with Eric to a small degree, as little blood as we'd shared. The blood wanted to be united with its source. I shuddered when I thought of vampires who were careless with their blood, allowing other vampires and humans to take it without weighing the heavy cost. That was one of the many reasons drainers and V-users were so offensive: a bond, no matter how small, is forever. I'd never suffered the loss of a bonded, but I'd been told that pain is forever too.

Without a human audience, I didn't need to remember to blink or shift my weight or smile, and I listened as the humans quietly talked amongst themselves, mostly speculating about me. They didn't care about my wartime experience; I was a freak show for their amusement. I would be no different than Eric and Pam on display at Fangtasia, and it sickened me. I shook my head at my own stupidity for agreeing to do this. Maybe, one day, if Adele or Sookie wanted to know, maybe I'd tell them what it was really like. I'd never spoken the truth of what happened, how part of my human life had ended before I'd been turned, but it would not be entertainment for a collection of bored and curious humans.

"Is out vampire friend here?" I heard the Mayor ask Adele.

"In the kitchen waitin'," she sweetly replied. "I left him with a bottle of that TruBlood they like."

"Adele, do you think we've taken enough precautions?" he quietly asked.

"Against what?"

"Well…" his voice trailed off. "To make sure everybody's safe. Ordinarily, I wouldn't pay no mind, but there's young folks here."

"Sterling," Adele sharply said. "We don't have anything to be frightened of. Mr. Compton is a perfect gentleman. Frankly, I'm more worried about what we might do to him."

"Uh-huh," the Mayor mumbled.

The irony was that this man belonged to a group that openly glorified the senseless slaughter of so many, but he was worried about me turning blood-thirsty and violent. I clenched my jaw and stopped myself from slipping out the kitchen door.

"Wow, Gran, look at all the people!" I heard Sookie say. I sighed and blocked out all the other voices.

"Isn't it exciting?" Adele said. "Well Sam Merlotte, what a nice surprise."

Sam Merlotte?

"When Sookie told me she was coming here alone tonight, I thought it'd be a shame if she came without an escort," he said.

Fucking dog.

"Well," Adele said. "How very… gentlemanly of you."

"Okay, we're sittin' down now," Sookie said.

My fingernails had drawn blood on my palms, and I watched as the wounds quickly healed. Sam and Sookie joined Tara, and then Jason came in, and all I could think about was my Sookie with another man. A shifter, at that.

"Hey, sit back," I heard him whisper. "It's okay to relax."

"I thought I was relaxed," Sookie said.

"I don't think you know how."

"Bill?" Adele said.

I jumped up. "Yes."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," I quickly lied.

"Are you ready? It's time…" I felt her scrutiny as I looked away.

"Of course," I said as I moved to put the untouched TruBlood in the refrigerator.

"I'm not sure I should say anything," she began. "But I don't want you to be rattled when you're speaking…"

"Sookie came with Sam Merlotte," I said. She raised an eyebrow. "I heard."

"You heard?"

"It's fine," I said.

She nodded at me and smiled before walking back into the church. "Welcome," she said to the crowd, who slowly stopped shuffling and whispering. "It is certainly a pleasure to see so many new faces here this month. But Mayor Norris assures me there will be enough ambrosia and tipsy-cake for everyone.

"Now, our guest tonight is a gentleman who, despite what you might have heard, is one of us." I smiled at her determination, as if she could will everyone to give me a fair chance and like me. "His family was among the first to settle in Bon Temps, and he bravely fought for Louisiana in the war for Southern Independence."

I took a couple of deep breaths, knowing that she was about to finish. I focused on staying calm, on staying detached. I reminded myself that it was a good thing to ingratiate myself with the townsfolk. I wouldn't be telling them anything of value, so it had no effect on me. It was just good publicity. Yes. I could do this.

"Let us welcome one of the original sons of Bon Temps back to the town that he helped build. I give you First Lieutenant William Thomas Compton."

She clapped, and there was a smattering of quiet applause as I walked out, although most people sat staring with open mouths, waiting, perhaps even hoping, for me to burst into flames.

"Thank you, Mrs. Stackhouse," I said once I reached the small lectern. "If you'll pardon me for just a moment." I turned to the American flag, which was draped over the large cross at the front of the sanctuary. With more flourish than necessary, I snapped the flag, revealing the cross. A collective gasp echoed in the otherwise silent church as I walked to the flagpole and carefully re-hung it. "As a patriot of this great nation," I said. "I wouldn't dream of putting myself before Old Glory." I beamed at the audience before returning the flagpole to its rightful place and walking back to the podium, looking purposefully at the cross as I did.

"As you can see, I did not burst into flame," I smiled as if their ignorance amused me. "We vampires are not minions of the devil. We can stand before a cross, or a Bible, or in a church, just as readily as any other creature of God.

"And I am honored to stand before you tonight," I continued. "Vampires have traditionally been very private, perhaps to our detriment. But I believe, if we reach out to one another, was can coexist, and even thrive together." I looked down at Sookie and smiled. She blushed and looked away, and Sam narrowed his eyes at me.

"I served in the 28th Louisiana Infantry, formed in Monroe in 1862, under Colonel Henry Gray. It was there we learned the value of human life…"

I didn't pay much attention as I recited the sterilized facts I'd decided were appropriate for the occasion. People continued to whisper to each other, still about me, but most listened as I told them the same things they could've found on any bland documentary on the History Channel. I didn't tell them the things that mattered. How I'd worked late into the night the weeks before I left to get the fields planted. The way Caroline had made love to me that last morning, dawn still an hour away, how I tasted her tears when I kissed her.

"Promise me you'll come back," she'd whispered. We lay in bed afterwards, still panting and sweaty. Thomas had woken, and she held the baby to her breast as we talked. He gulped and suckled loudly, humming in his delight as he grabbed handfuls of her soft flesh with his dimpled fingers. "Promise me."

"I can't promise that, Caroline."

"Promise you'll come home."

"Do you want me to lie?" I'd begged.

"I know you'd never go back on your word. Promise."

"I'll do whatever it takes to come home to you," I'd finally said. She nodded solemnly, and we didn't speak another word until I whispered that I loved her as I left, Sarah clinging to my legs and crying.

History remembers the soldiers from Louisiana as among the highest for desertion and insubordination, but also among the fiercest fighters and the best shots. The Rebel Yell, described later as the sound of crazed demons, came from a place of desperation, of fear, and of absurd determination to win. Win at all costs…

"… But going to war was not a choice for us. We believed, to a man, that we had a calling to fulfill, a destiny handed down from above. God forbid any of our men become wounded or injured…"

Our first real battles came in the spring of 1863, when we joined up with General Taylor to defend Camp Bisland near Bayou Teche. We were outnumbered three to one, and the 28th was ordered to hold the center of the Confederate line. All day, the battle waged: the "thpk" as lead met the soft resistance of yielding flesh, the boom of the cannons, the screams of the fallen and the pleas of the dying.

In the end, under the cover of darkness, orders whispered along the lines to retreat. If we stayed, we'd be trapped: all those deaths for a battle they knew we couldn't win, for a camp we couldn't hold.

Tolliver Humphries and I carried our friend from Bon Temps, Robert Porter, who'd been shot early in the battle. He bit down on my shoulder as we moved, trying to silence his screams. In the hospital tent the two days later, the surgeon, his apron dripping with blood and flecks of bone and tissue, told me to help hold him down.

"I can't," I'd said, backing away in horror. "No."

"That leg don't come off, he'll die," the doctor said.

"I'm sorry, Robert," I said as I lay across his chest, my hands firmly gripping his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"NO!" Robert screamed, his eyes wild and bright with fever. "William, please. Please help me." He struggled and bit and spit and tried to fight me off. "Don't let them… NO!"

"Shhhh," I soothed as if he were my Sarah, afraid in the dark because of a terrible dream. "It's going to be alright, Robert. Shhhh."

Robert screamed and fought as the saw ripped into the rotting flesh of his thigh. His blood splashed onto the floor, and I heard the saw moving through bone. Thankfully, Robert passed out from the pain and the shock, his last words pleas for me to help him, to make it stop. As I continued to hold him, now more for myself than out of necessity, my tears left clean trails on his dirty face. I threw up outside the tent as the doctor bandaged what was left of his leg and moved on to the next man, having time to only shake the excess blood from the saw blade before using it again.

Robert died the next morning, and when I wrote to his wife, I didn't tell her that I'd had a part in his torture. I didn't write that he'd cried and screamed and begged. That's when I stopped talking to Caroline. I still wrote weekly, so she'd know I was alive, but I could no longer share my heart. I couldn't put to words the monstrous things that I'd done, that I'd have to keep doing, that she asked me to do so that I could come home.

The irritating smell of freshly pressed garlic shook me back to the present, and I narrowed my eyes at three men, all trying without success to stifle their laughter.

"In the winter months," I continued, determined to ignore them and the tickly scratch in my nose. "The nights could grow bitter cold…"

The winter of 1863 and early 1864 was the worst anyone could remember. The nights were dark and endless as we huddled together, shivering in the freezing rain and sleet, awaiting supplies that never came and guarding a pitiful stash of arms designated for other men. We didn't even have tents, and more and more of our friends died from illness. Our orders were to make life as difficult as possible for General Bank's army, to slow their advance, but often our skirmishes were more supply-raids than anything else, and we were grateful to gnaw stolen hardtack as we tried to stay warm and dry.

"William," Tolliver quietly said as he shook me awake.

I bolted upright, my knife held to his throat as I growled, still overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of relentless, swarming enemies that waged war all night in my dreams.

"William," he said, swallowing visibly. "It's me. Put down the knife, William."

I gasped for air, seeing my breath before me in the moonlight. I nodded and hastily put down the knife. "I'm sorry," I whispered as shame overtook me. "I'm so…"

"It's alright," he said as he shivered under his blanket. "You were yelling in your sleep again."

"Tolliver," I began, still sitting up. "I don't know what's wrong…"

"You're fine," he said as he closed his eyes. "We're all just tired. You should try and get some sleep."

"You should maybe…" I said, unsure how I'd bear it if he turned away from me.

"You're alright, William," he said more firmly. "Just go to sleep." I nodded in the dark and sheathed my knife. I held it out to him, and he sighed. "Keep it," he finally said. "I ain't scared of you."

"I am," I said.

After a long pause, he took the knife and laid it on the frozen ground on his other side. I pulled my blanket around and snuggled as close to him as I could, his body's shivers echoing mine as we laid in the dark, both pretending to sleep.

That horrible winter turned into a resentful spring, and that April, General Taylor decided to make a grand statement of the South's resolve. At Sabine Crossroads, we charged General Banks' men with fixed bayonets through new wheat fields, the tender green shoots trampled underfoot. Of the 2,200 hundred men in our troop, nearly 800 died in the first twenty minutes alone. We fought hand-to-hand, driving the Federals back.

Afterwards, we scavenged the field as surely as the carrion buzzards and bloated flies, taking anything that would be of use: weapons, ammunition, uniforms, food. My boots had worn through the soles, and I scooped out the remains of a Union soldier's foot from a new pair while he bled next to me on the ground, pleading for water. I saw his heart beat in the fresh gushes of blood, and I knew by looking he wouldn't survive. It was only luck that made it him and not me dying on that field, and I held my canteen to his bloody lips before taking the other boot off his attached leg.

"So thirsty…" he whimpered as I turned away with my prize.

I took a deep breath when I finished my prepared speech, and I looked out to the humans sitting before me. "Are there any questions?" I asked.

An old man stood with difficulty on trembling legs. "My great-grandfather was in the 28th," he said. "I wonder if you might've known him? His name was Tolliver Humphries."

"Tolliver Humphries?" I repeated, stunned by the odds of one of his descendents standing before me. The man nodded. "Yes," I said. "I knew him very well. We fought together. Tolliver Humphries was my friend." The man stood with tears in his eyes, and I thought of the letters I'd written after his death to his wife and to the Bellefluers, and not for the first time, I wondered if they'd arrived. "He was a brave man," I continued. "Perhaps to a fault. I dare say it contributed to his death."

"What happened?" the man asked. "Where you there?"

I nodded. "I was."

Yellow Bayou was our last major battle of the war, and we charged in dense woods under heavy cannon fire. The wet underbrush caught fire, and the smoke and flames caused both sides to retreat to the more open fields. A particularly savage hand-to-hand battle ensued, followed by skirmishes that waged throughout the afternoon.

"We were about twenty miles of where I stand now. The Federals outnumbered us five to one, and they had better firepower," I recited in a detached way. "We spent much of the afternoon recovering the bodies of those we'd lost.

"There was a boy in our troop, no more than 13 or 14, who lay wounded in the middle of a field under poor cover. He called to us all day. He begged us to help him. He knew he would die if we didn't. I admit I considered shooting the boy myself, just to shut him up, but Tolliver convinced me that would be an act of murder, not war.

"He told me God wanted him to rescue that boy. I pleaded with him not to go, to think of his wife and children back home. He ran into that field like it was a cool, spring day. They shot him just as he reached the boy. It was obvious to us he was beyond help. And then, after a while, the boy started screaming again."

I blinked and stared into the audience who were all sitting in a horrified silence. Finally, a fat woman in the front row spoke up. "What happened to the boy?"

"He lived," I said. Of course Jebediah Bellefleur had lived when my best friend had died trying to save him. There was a collective sigh of relief from the humans, who are so partial to happy endings, never mind that Tolliver never made it home to his family. "He survived the day," I continued. "And then, under cover of darkness later that night, we retrieved him, along with the body of Tolliver Humphries. But it seems that Tolliver was right – God did look after his descendents." I smiled at the old man, who looked both touched and proud when he sat back down. The mayor held up his hand. "Yes, Mayor Norris?"

He stood up with his cane and walked towards me, pulling something out his pocket. "I've been diggin' in the archives this week," he said. "I found this old tin-type. The inscription on the back says Mr. W. T. Compton and family. Can you tell us if this is a picture of you?"

I cleared my throat and took the photograph. Even though I braced for it, the shock when I opened the case and saw my family staring back at me was almost too much too bear. "This… um…" I began. "This is a remarkable photograph." I felt Sookie's eyes on me, and I willed myself to stay focused, to describe the events like I'd been asked. "I remember the day we gathered to have this taken."

"When was the last time you were with them?" the fat woman asked.

"When I…" I cleared my throat again. "I went to war, in 1862. I… well… My human life ended before I had a chance to come back home."

"But you became a vampire after that, right?" a man in the second row said. "Couldn't you go back to your family then?"

"No," I shook my head. "No that wouldn't have been possible." I snapped the photo shut and wiped my eyes before anyone saw the blood. "I apologize," I said uncomfortably. "This is not a subject I am very comfortable speaking about. Thank you for the photograph, Mayor," I said, holding it tightly in my hand. "Brings back many memories for me." I pocketed the photo and clutched the bloody handkerchief in my hand. "Any other questions?"

Fortunately, after that, no one had anything else to say. Adele kindly stepped in to end my speech, and the applause was much stronger than it had been at the beginning. She took my arm and led me to the room off the sanctuary where refreshments had been set up. People wandered in and chatted in small groups.

"Just a little longer, and then you can escape," she whispered as someone came and thanked me for speaking.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"No, but I can only imagine. Just think of all the minds you've opened. It's almost over."

At that, a man stepped up to me and didn't hesitate before hugging me tightly. I tried to back away, and in the end, stood stiffly in his embrace.

"Oh!" Adele softly exclaimed.

"They don't understand, man," the man said, his eyes wet as he continued to hold me. "None of them can ever understand. You stay sharp, brother."

"Alright," I replied, grateful when he walked away.

"Could I," the fat woman stepped in as soon as the man had left. "Would it be possible to take a picture with you?"

I smiled. "Of course."

"You won't vanish in the photo?" she laughed.

"That's just a myth," I assured her. "One I'd be happy to disprove." We carefully arranged ourselves for the photograph, which I didn't understand at all, and Adele snapped it. I raised my eyebrows after they'd gone, and Adele only smiled conspiratorially and shook her head.

"Hey," Sookie's voice cut through all the background noises. "Great job tonight."

"Wasn't he just marvelous?" Adele gushed.

"Yeah," Sam said insincerely. "That was quite a show."

I leveled my eyes at him, and Sookie blushed. "Bill, you remember Sam," she said awkwardly.

"Yes. You're Sookie's employer."

Sam put his arm possessively around Sookie. "Not when we're off duty," he smiled.

"No, legally you still are," I said.

There was a pregnant pause while we all stood there staring at each other. Sookie broke the uncomfortable silence. "Well, I just wanted to congratulate you." She smiled at me, and I felt like my heart just might start beating again if it didn't burst first. "Seems like you've won everybody over."

"Some," I said gazing deeply into her eyes. "I hope."

"We'd better get going," Sam quickly interjected. "We're going to grab a cup of coffee before we call it a night."

"Coffee?" I dryly said. "Sounds delightful."

Sookie hugged her grandmother. "Goodnight Gran. I'll see you later." She smiled at me again before Sam tugged her towards the door.

"He seems nice," I flatly stated.

Adele sighed and only replied, "Hmm."

I shook a few more hands, and then Adele kindly rescued me. "Oh, I owe you," I sighed once we were in the car and on the way home.

"I'm the one who owes you, Bill. I'm sorry. I didn't realize... Well, if it's any consolation, I do believe you've changed some people's minds."

"I think it's going to take more than that," I said as I escorted her to her door.

"You're probably right," she agreed. "But it's a good start. Would you like to come in and visit for a little while?"

"No, thank you," I said. "I have some things to do at home."

She nodded, and I waited until she was inside, the door locked securely behind her, before I slowly walked back to my house.

As I strolled across the yard, I abruptly stopped stared at the front porch. There, waiting for me, was Caroline. She rocked in a chair with Thomas on her lap. Not the baby I last saw with my human eyes, but a little boy with short pants. Sarah was bigger too, quite the young lady, and she had her own chair. They were waiting. Waiting for me to keep my promise and return to them. My breath caught in my throat, and I knew my vision wasn't real, but I was torn between wanting to run to them to make it go away and never moving so maybe they wouldn't disappear.

"Mr. Compton," a strange male voice made me blink, and in that split second of darkness, they were gone. "I'm Bud Dearborn, Sheriff of Renard Parish. This here is Detective Bellefleur."

"Bellefleur?" I said. The man looked startled at my interest, and I immediately put a calm, pleasant expression on my face. "What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions pertaining to an investigation," the Bellefleur said in an assured voice, as if he were used to having his requests followed. How typical for a Bellefleur. "If you don't mind," he added, but it really wasn't a question.

I smiled. "Of course. Won't you come on in."

The two men shared wary glances. "Into the house?" the Sheriff asked uncertainly.

I smiled smugly and walked at a casual human pace to the front door, up the stairs, and into the house. Once inside, I went to the fireplace and quickly lit the wood that Phil Thibodeaux had carefully arranged. I poked it to life while the officers stood nervously in the front entryway.

"Please," I said, gesturing to the sofa as I heard their hearts pounding. "Make yourselves at home. May I offer you a drink?"

"No, thank you," the Sheriff quickly said.

"I have Frescas," I tempted.

"You do?" the Bellefleur asked, sounding surprised.

"For guests." I dryly pointed out the obvious.

"Well, I'll have a Fresca," he said.

I smiled again and walked to the kitchen. As I opened the cupboard of things I'd bought for Sookie and retrieved one of the blue cans, I listened to them whisper.

"What the hell are you doing?" the Sheriff asked.

"He offered," the Bellefleur defensively replied.

"He's a suspect."

"Maybe to you," the Bellefleur said. "We got no evidence."

"He's a vampire," the Sheriff insisted.

I was just out of sight when I heard one of them get up and walk across the room. I heard the clink of fire-tools. As I entered the entry-way, the Bellefleur was holding the toaster, which the workers had left with the rest of the old iron tools they'd found in the shed, his eyebrows raised in question at the Sheriff.

I cracked open the soda can, and both men jumped. "It's a toaster," I explained. "For bread. You put the slices in the end and cook them over the hearth. I don't use it anymore as I no longer eat."

I held out the soda to the Detective, who nervously accepted it before sitting back down on the sofa. I sat in the nearby chair, adjusting my cuffs and looking as human as I could. "You said you had some questions for me?" I prompted.

"We're investigating a couple of homicides that took place locally this past week," the Bellefleur said.

"I've heard," I said.

"Where you familiar with either one of the victims?" he asked. "Maudette Pickens or Dawn Green?"

"Miss Pickens, no," I said. "But Miss Green, I believe she worked over at Sam Merlotte's place? We never spoke, but I saw her."

"Were you aware they'd both had sexual contact with vampires?" the Sheriff asked.

"I was not, but it's more common than you think." I smiled innocently as I enjoyed their discomfort. Both men quickly looked at their notebooks and shuffled on the sofa.

"You have anyone who can vouch for your where-abouts the night of the 23rd and the 25th?" the Sheriff asked.

"Tell me, Sheriff," I said, leaning towards him. "Were either of these unfortunate young women exsanguinated when you found them?" They both stared at me blankly. "Drained of their blood? If you don't mind my asking…"

"That's not information we're at liberty to share," the Bellefleur pompously said.

"Because a fresh corpse," I said, leaning closer to them, enjoying the wet and rapid thumping of their hearts. "Full of blood?" I licked my lips and smiled. "Detective, that's something no vampire could resist. I daresay not even I."

"Good thing you weren't there," the Detective nervously added.

"Nor was any other vampire," I said with certainty. "A vampire would've drained those girls of every last drop." I smiled again and both men swallowed uncomfortably. The Detective took a tentative sip of the soda. "How's your Fresca?" I asked.

"It's… a little warm," he admitted.

"I apologize," I conversationally said as I beamed. "I don't own a refrigerator."

I watched with considerable irritation as they left, both seemingly grateful to have survived my living room. I wish Sookie had been here, so she could see the prejudice we regularly had to deal with when it came to law enforcement, who wanted nothing more to believe we were all cold-blooded killers. As if humans were somehow innocent victims…

I took off my jacket and flung it over the chair before going to stand by the fire. The flames danced merrily, and the warmth felt good on my skin. It seemed to be a night of memories, and as I picked up the toaster, I thought of the one used for my last meal.

May 19,1865, the remaining troops, exhausted and hungry, gathered as the Confederate flag was lowered. We stood in the hot sun, our uniforms filthy and tattered, and some men openly wept as our flag was reverently folded. We disbanded immediately, and many stood dazed at their sudden freedom. Clusters formed as plans were made to how best get home. Many were going back to Monroe as a group, safety in numbers, and would disburse from there. But I was too anxious to wait for a group, and I wanted to move swiftly. I shook hands with several comrades before setting off alone, convinced that I could take a short-cut through the back-woods trails and make the journey home without trouble.

I moved as quickly as I could, stopping to rest only when I needed to. I vowed as I traveled to never tell a soul about what had happened. To never let my wife or my children see what I had become. I was going home. I was going home. I'd survived, and I was going home, and for that I was grateful and guilty and relieved and horrified, and I just focused on getting there. I'd deal with the rest later, but for now, I held onto my determined mantra: I was going home; I was going home.

After nearly two weeks, I was hopelessly lost. I knew I was back-tracking and moving in circles, and the only people I'd seen in days were bands of angry and revengeful Federal troops, who I was quick to avoid. The civilians I encountered were just as desperate as I, and none were eager to have a stranger nearby. I was out of food, and my canteen was empty when, in the moonlight, I saw a small cabin nestled in a clearing in the woods. I eagerly ran towards it.

"Is there anyone inside?" I called as I knocked on the door. "I require help. I'm a soldier in the 28th Louisiana Infantry. I require food and water." I continued to bang on the door, thinking that if no was there, maybe I could at least rest there for the night. "Is there anyone who can help me?" I plead. When the latch gave, I quickly cut through the leather with my knife and pushed open the door, gun raised in case it was an trap.

I was stunned when I felt the muzzle along my temple and heard a woman's voice say, "Do not move. I will shoot you."

I immediately held up my hands, and she took my knife and my gun. "Ma'am, please, I mean you no harm. I'm just trying to get home."

She sighed and lowered the rifle she was holding. "I'm sorry," she said, her eyes downcast. "I can't be too careful…"

"Please don't apologize," I said. "But if you could spare some food or water, I'd be forever grateful."

She nodded and gestured to the chair by the rough wooden table. I sank into it happily and leaned back, closing my eyes as I heard her move around the small room, adding a log to the fire, lighting candles, and preparing a meal. She handed me a cup full of water, which I gulped frantically. She refilled it again. And then again. The smell of meat cooking made my mouth water and my head spin.

"I wasn't even aware we'd surrendered," she finally said.

"In Mansfield two weeks ago," I told her. She placed two sizzling pieces of pork on my plate, and I tore into them like a savage. "We disbanded immediately," I said between mouthfuls. "Most of the men marched back to Monroe, but I chose to take a short-cut home by way of these trails. I overestimated my knowledge of the land."

"You're not far off," she said as she pulled the toaster away from the hearth and offered me the hot bread. "Beau Lake is ten miles southwest of here, and Bon Temps is ten miles south of that." She moved back to the fire and I continued to attack the food in front of me. "My husband was in the 13th Infantry under Colonel Gibson," she quietly said. "He fought at Shiloh." I knew Colonel Gibson's unit was slaughtered at Shiloh. She looked very small hunched near the fire, a quiver in her voice. "He used to write to me every few weeks, but I haven't heard from him in nearly seven months." She walked to the table carrying a basin of water.

"Many of the postal routes have been disrupted," I said hopefully. "I'm sure your letters simply got lost."

She forced a smile. "That's kind of you, but I've considered myself a widow for some time now." She wiped at my face with a cool cloth, and once more I closed my eyes. Her touch was gentle and soothing, and it felt good to have a woman's soft hands on me after so long. "There's still quite a lot of blood on you. You're a lucky man, Lieutenant. I doubt you would've survived another day without food."

I swallowed and nodded. "I'm in debt to you for taking pity on me."

"I think," she said, her cool hand pressed to my cheek. "For you sake, you'd best spend the night here. With me." She leaned in for a kiss, and I very nearly returned her affections. It'd been so long, and she spoke so softly and so kindly. But I quickly came to my senses and pulled away.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I apologize if I misled you, but I have a wife and two small children waiting for me. If Bon Temps is as close as you say it is, then I'll see them soon, and I do not wish to sully our reunion."

She smiled sadly. "You are an honorable man. The others have no always been so." She stood next to me.

"There's been others?"

"From time to time," she said. "Deserters, mostly. I offered them a crust of bread and a place to rest, and they'd help appease my loneliness. It may not be moral, lieutenant, but these are times of war." She leaned over me once more, and I abruptly stood, reluctant to leave the warmth and safety of the cabin, but resolved to stay true to my promise to Caroline. I may have turned into a murderous monster, but I'd had no choice in that matter. I had the choice now, and I would not be an unfaithful husband. I couldn't.

"I do not judge you," I honestly said. "Your choices are your own, as are mine." I smiled softly at her as I silently plead for her to understand. "I wish to continue on my way home. You have my gratitude for your hospitality. I will not soon forget it."

I gathered my gear and turned to the door, but suddenly, she was there. There was a flash of white fangs as she growled and pushed me to the floor. I felt her holding me down as she roughly bent my head to the side. The pain of her bite was sharp, and I felt my heart beating in the wounds as she sucked ravenously at my neck. The lights began to dim, and the last thought I had was to wonder how such a tiny woman could be so strong.

I awoke in a bed, the woman dressed only in her chemise and petticoats beside me, a peaceful and satisfied smile on her face that terrified me. I felt weak and cold and thirsty, and it was all I could do to move my eyes to take in the surroundings. I saw bodies, obviously long dead, propped up in the room like grotesque sculptures.

"The others?" I whispered, my throat aching and sore.

She looked demurely at her hands. "They all presented themselves as gentlemen. You can blame the war, if you like, but they proved to be no more than savages once I let them into my home." She looked me in the eye, and her expression made me shiver. "The deserved no better."

"They died?"

"Oh yes," she sighed with pleasure. "But I am not keen to let you go quite so easily." She picked up a knife from the bedside table and straddled me on the bed. "I've waited a long time for a man such as you."

Even with my head swimming, I was stunned when she sliced her neck with the knife, and the blood dripped onto my face. Horrified, I of all the blood I'd seen, all the death I'd caused, as I tried to pull away.

"If you do not drink," she said, her fingers pressed into the wound. "You will die, certain as I'm speaking to you right now. Do you wish to see you family again? Your wife?" she crooned the words softly, seductively. "Your children?"

I promised to do whatever I could to come home, and my tongue tentatively lapped at the drops on my lips. As soon as it entered my mouth, she sighed with obvious pleasure.

"You must drink from me," she insisted, and she helped me rise on the bed. She held my head firmly to her neck, and I began to suck at the wound. "Take me in you," she moaned as I suckled the blood, which was cool and sweeter than I imagined it would be. I felt stronger suddenly, more alert. I sucked even harder, gulping mouthfuls at a time. I felt so aware, so alive. "Feel me in you," she shuddered as she rubbed herself against me. Even through the clothes, I felt it, and three long years away from my wife's bed were obvious as she laughed.

"We are together, William," she said. "Forever." She leaned her head back and I reached up with my hands to hold her tightly against my lips. "You. Are. Mine." She laughed, and I heard a soft clicking sound, and I drank. I sucked harder as I felt the wound begin to close.

"Yes, William," she whispered as she gently stroked my hair. "Drink."

My tongue licked along the line where the knife had cut, lapping up the last traces of blood as the cut magically sealed before my eyes. She shuddered again in pleasure, and I fell back onto the bed as I licked the blood from my lips.

Suddenly, my heart was icy cold, and I felt icy blood pump through my veins. "What's happening?" I asked with a weak and trembling voice. I held my hands to my face, and I realized that even in the dim light, I could see every tiny pore, every hair. The lines on my fingerprints were bright and distinguishable. I could see the blood moving through the blue veins in my wrist. I felt the rough weave of my shirt's fabric and the seams of my trousers and my boots' uneven soles.

"You're turning," she whispered as she lay down beside me. "It's begun…" I smelled the strong, sweet scent of her blood, and the rustle of her clothes seemed strangely loud and clear.

"Sooo… ccolllddd…" I stammered through chattering teeth.

She gently tucked my head into her shoulder, and she stroked my hair as I shivered violently. I could hear my heart pounding, a frantic, erratic beat that echoed loudly in my head. "Shhh," she soothed. "Shhhhh."

"Whhhaaaaatttt…" I tried to ask what she was, what she'd done to me, what was happening.

"No," she insisted. "Shhh. Don't fight it. You can't stop it. Just let it take you."

I shook my head, and she smiled at me, her fangs sparkling white in the candlelight. I felt the drops of sweat drip down my face even as I shivered with cold like I'd never felt before. Not even the cold from the war was like this. It seemed to come from a place deep within me. She leaned close and licked the droplets from my forehead, her tongue leaving cool, wet trails on my skin. I felt her fingers in my hair, and I was aware of each strand moving, my scalp tingling deliciously as her fingertips brushed against it. I saw tiny dust motes shimmering with the full spectrum of colors like stars, the minute variations of color in the threads in the quilt, and the dark spot on her eyelids where each lash connected.

"You're going to sleep, William," she said as the cold spread to my legs and my arms. My heart continued its wild drumming, and I couldn't move anymore. "You'll sleep as you've never slept before. When you wake, it'll be the beginning of a whole new life." I felt the panic as my heart beat as if it would explode, the sound furious in my ears. A cold, heavy weight settled inside my chest, and I couldn't breathe. "You'll wake in the ground," she whispered. "But you don't need to be afraid." I couldn't blink as the cold spread across my face, abruptly silencing my chattering teeth.

"Shhh," she soothed again, pressing tightly against me, as if she knew my fear. "You don't need to be afraid. I will be with you, William. I will always be with you…"

I stood at my fireplace, hearing the roar and the crackle of the burning wood, the colors of the flames brilliant and distinct, the waves of warmth rolling against my body. I gripped the iron toaster hard enough to indent the metal as I thought of those early weeks with Lorena. Everything was just _more_. I felt and saw and heard and smelled too much, my brain constantly on the brink of madness at the barrage of sensory information. My dreams and ability to recall, always precise and detailed, were such that I couldn't distinguish memories from the reality before me. I burned and hungered with thirst, horrified at my need for blood, always more blood, even as I killed another victim in my haste to feed. And Lorena. I only felt complete and at peace when I was naked, buried inside her, sucking greedily at her neck. Her blood was cool and sweet, and I could never satiate my need for her. We fed on each other several times each night, my desire for her never quenched, only amplified by every exchange.

We were making our way to New Orleans to register with the Queen when Lorena led me to my home, and she wouldn't have stopped me if I'd attacked my wife. That terrible night, the night that replayed itself over and over in my dreams, Lorena laughed as she licked my tears, and I hungered for the wet thumping of Caroline's heart as Lorena whispered, "They're as good as dead… It's time for us to go."

I tried to stay. At that moment, I didn't care that I would be lost and alone without my Maker. That was the first time I felt Lorena's Call. Her blood spoke to mine in ways I can't describe 140 years later, forcing my legs against my will to follow her. I fought her, tried to stay within hearing distance of my house, desperate to keep my promise to Caroline who waited so faithfully for me. Lorena only laughed again. "You can never overpower me, William. Come. Come…" And I had no choice but to follow her, my blood responding to her siren song as she took my hand in hers, even as the tears dripped down my face. Already, I hated her as I loved her. I needed her, and I despised her. I couldn't bear to be with her, and I couldn't bear to be away.

"AUGH!" I roared, the sound echoing in my mostly empty living room. I gripped the ruined toaster even harder, hearing the metal groan as I squeezed, and I smashed it into the fire. "Damnit!" I yelled, allowing, for the first time in years, my rage and hurt and sadness to consume me. "GOD DAMNIT!" I smashed the logs to ashes, the sparks flying dangerously close to my body and landing on the hearth.

The ruined remains of the fire smoldered when my anger passed, and I cringed at the shattered stones on the floor of the fireplace. The toaster dropped from my hands and clattered as it hit the floor. I wanted to crawl out of my own skin, and my fingernails clawed into my neck as I quivered with rage and exhaustion.

That was when I heard the car pull into the drive at Sookie's house. I furrowed my brows and listened more closely. It should've been Sam's truck, but it was definitely a car. I listened as the engine didn't stop, but I heard the door open and close, and then the car drove slowly back down the drive. I sped across the cemetery as quickly as I could, and I watched from the trees as Sookie let herself in the back door. She felt tense and angry and sad, and I wondered how long I should wait before I knocked on the door.

And then I felt paralyzing fear. My breath caught in my chest as I felt her shock as clearly as if it'd been my own. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. I walked up the back steps, and before I'd even reached the door, the smell of blood nearly knocked me to the ground. My fangs pressed painfully against my gums as they wanted to slide out, and I willed them to stay in place. The blood was cold and starting to spoil, the smell of decay imperceptible to humans, but already nauseatingly strong to me.

I quietly opened the kitchen door, which Sookie had left unlocked, and I saw her kneeling next to Adele and a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Sookie's heart thumped dangerously fast, and I heard as she gasped for air, her hands trembling as they hovered over her grandmother's dead body.

I pulled her to my chest, away from the blood. She nearly stopped breathing as she fought me.

"Sookie," I quietly said as I shook her. "Sookie, it's me. Sookie, it's me." I turned her as easily, and she stared at me without comprehension. I gently shook her again.

"Bill?" she finally said. I felt her relief through the bond, and she pressed herself into my chest. I held her to me as tightly as I dared without hurting her.

"You alright?" I asked.

She whimpered and clung to my shirt like a person drowning. I was holding her, thinking I needed to move her out of the kitchen, when I heard the steps creak on the front porch. Sookie heard it too, and she turned her face towards the sound of the front door opening. I held my finger to my lips, indicating that she should be silent, and flashed to the front door.

I immediately smelled the shifter, and I cursed him for covering the scent of the murderer, who obviously fled through the front door, with his own distinct stench. I held him by the neck for the sheer pleasure of it, fangs bared as I growled.

"Get your fuckin' hands off me," Sam choked out as I squeezed harder. A human wouldn't be breathing, but he would be fine because he was a shifter.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I was making sure Sookie got home safe. The door was open." I loosened my grip slightly, although he was still trapped against the wall, curious to know why Sookie had ended their date abruptly. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Before I could answer, Sookie appeared. "Bill!" she said. "It's okay. Let him go."

I retracted my fangs and reluctantly stepped away from Sam. His eyes widen as he smelled the blood and saw Sookie's bloody legs and fingers.

"What happened?" he asked.

Sookie returned to my side, and I put my arm around her protectively. "It's alright," I said. "Come sit in here. Sam," I said over my shoulder as I led Sookie to the living room. "You need to phone the police."

He pulled out his phone as he tentatively walked into the kitchen. I heard him gasp in the dining room, and he spoke quietly but urgently into the phone, explaining the situation and asking the dispatcher to send someone right away.

I settled Sookie onto the sofa, and I met Sam in the dining room. "Let's see if we can get a scent before everyone dilutes it," I quietly said. He nodded, and we both moved through the rooms, sniffing the air carefully for traces of whoever killed Adele. It was definitely male, and he'd moved quickly, without touching anything. There was the distinctive scent of Merlotte's that overpowered everything else, and I focused near the front door, trying to block out all the other lingering scents.

I tracked him up the stairs, and I followed his scent to Sookie's bedroom, where the door was ajar. The screen had been cut, and he'd touched the quilt on her bed. I smelled carefully, not wanting to think about how Adele had invited me inside, how I would've been able to save her if I'd been there. For all the people I'd killed, both as a human and as vampire, nothing had made me feel regret like this. Adele had been so kind to me, and Sookie needed her. I needed her, and now she was dead… Because of me, she was dead…

I was standing at the window, tasting the air, when the police cars turned onto the drive from the road, their sirens blaring. Sam let them in, which only seemed right. He was one of them, after all. At least they all thought so. I felt Sookie's numbness and disbelief.

Finally, I heard footsteps on the stairs, and by the distinctive clomp of the boots, I knew it was Sam. He walked in and sullenly said, "She's asking for you."

I turned from the window and took a step towards him. "There something you want to say to me?"  
Sam closed the distance between us and growled deeply. "I want you to stay away from her," he said.

"You know, Sookie doesn't take kindly to people making decisions for her."

"You don't need to tell me who Sookie is," Sam said. "I know who she is. I've known a long time."

"Then you'll also know this is neither the time nor the place for you to… mark your territory." I returned his growl with one of my own.

"There's a woman lying dead downstairs. She wouldn't be there if it weren't for you." I felt the air rush slowly from my chest. "If anything happens to Sookie," he threatened. "I promise, I'll be sharpening a stake with your name on it." He narrowed his eyes at me before leaving, and I fingered the hole in the screen one last time before following him down the stairs.

"… Adele did bring a fanger into a church," I heard the Sheriff say. "That ruffled more than a few feathers, if he didn't do it himself."

Of course I was a suspect. The police had no imagination. As if I'd want to kill one of the few people who'd been kind to me, even knowing I was vampire. As if there'd be a reason to kill the grandmother of my bonded human. As if I'd stab a person and leave the blood to spill, wasted on the floor, instead of draining her. Fucking morons. They needed to be protecting Sookie instead of wasting time accusing me.

"But Vampire Bill said…" the Bellefluer added.

"Vampire Bill?" the Sheriff interrupted. "You on a first-name basis with that blood-sucker now? These things are crafty. They've been killing long enough to know how to cover…"

I'd had enough eavesdropping, so I chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. "Am I interrupting?" I asked, knowing full well they would assume I knew they'd been speaking about me.

"Wow, Mr. Compton," the Detective said. "This is an official crime scene. You can't be in here."

"It's alright, Andy," the Sheriff said. "I suspect Vampire Bill's been around a dead body or two before." He said my name in a mocking tone. "Isn't that right, sir?"

I didn't dignify his remark with a response, merely stared at him. Andy Bellefleur immediately looked away, but the Sheriff met my gaze for a few seconds before backing down. "Friend of yours, wasn't she?" he finally said.

"Yes," I said, my voice unexpectedly thick. "I suppose she was."

"We've got a couple more questions for you," the Sheriff said as he took off his hat. "You mind?"

"No," I said. "Not at all." I followed them out of the kitchen and into the front entryway.

Andy Bellefleur consulted his notes before speaking. "Sookie tells us you were here when she found the body. Is that right?"

"I arrived a few moments after," I corrected.

"Kind-of late to be makin' house calls," the Sheriff observed. I crossed my arms and looked at him instead of answering. "Alright," he said. "I guess you don't sleep."

"They sleep," Andy Bellefleur quickly added. "Just not at night." He looked surprised that he'd said anything at all, and he busied himself with his notebook again.

"So," the Sheriff continued. "Do you make a habit of visiting Miss Stackhouse in the middle of the night?"

I stared at him for a considerable and uncomfortable moment before responding: "We had certain personal matters to discuss. After you left my home, I was waiting for her to return from her engagement. When I heard a car in the drive, I came across the cemetery."

"You saying you heard a car coming from clear across the cemetery?" Andy Bellefleur incredulously asked.

"Heightened senses are a common side-effect of our condition," I snapped back.

"But you didn't see or hear any other vehicles coming from the house?" he asked. "Somethin' like a truck, maybe?"

"No."

"A lot of folks wouldn't be too keen on a vampire moving in next door, but Adele Stackhouse, she welcomed you with open arms, didn't she?" the Sheriff observed.

"She was very gracious, yes," I said, unable to keep the emotion from my voice.

"So, Maudette Pickens, Dawn Green, Adele Stackhouse – they were all very… gracious… to you… people?" He said the words in a condescending tone that grated on my nerves. Once more, my fangs pressed uncomfortably against my gums, and the only thing that kept me from teaching him a lesson was Sookie sitting right outside the door. "That's about the one thing they had in common," he added. "Now, is that one hell of a plus-sized coincidence or what?"

"I don't believe so, no," I calmly said. They both looked at me, shocked.

"Excuse me?" Andy Bellefleur said.

"I suspect whoever's doing this is targeting women who associate with vampires," I connected the obvious dots for them, since they seemed too stupid to figure it out on their own.

"You can't be serious," Andy Bellefleur said, as if I would make a joke at a moment like this. "Adele Stackhouse? And a vamp?"

"Oh," I said, filling in the rest of the pieces for them. "I don't think Sookie's grandmother was the intended victim." They continued to stare at me, and I heard the coroners in the kitchen lifting Adele's body onto the gurney. "Excuse me, gentlemen," I politely said, my tone dry and cold. "Sookie was asking for me." They stared after me as I walked past them and out onto the porch.

"Bill," Sookie exclaimed as she rose from the steps, a worn afghan draped around her shoulders. "What's going on?"

"They're about to move your grandmother," I gently explained as I put my arm around her and guided her to the far end of the porch. Sam growled at me again, which was really getting irritating, and the two police officers bumbled out. Sookie turned at the sound of the door opening, but she leaned completely against my body, the warmth of her skin acting like an anchor, even through all the layers of fabric between us.

"Sookie," Andy Bellefluer said, his voice gruff but sympathetic. "You might want to go sleep at a friend's…" His eyes darted to me. "Someplace less isolated."

"I'm not going anywhere," she said.

"Sookie," I began. "Perhaps the Detective…"

"This is my house," she interrupted. "I'm staying right here." I nodded at her. The coroners wheeled the body out onto the porch as Sookie watched with dazed eyes. I held her tightly to me and softly kissed the top of her head.

"We're trying sorry about your grandmother," the Sheriff said.

"Are y'all done in there?" Sookie snapped. I felt her anger in the bond, and I wondered what she'd heard in my thoughts to make her react so strongly. "I'd like to clean up, if that's alright?"

"Alright then," the Sheriff sighed. "You call us at the first sign of anything."

Andy Bellefleur nodded and followed after the Sheriff. "Keep an eye on her," he said to Sam.

"I will," Sam assured him.

I wanted to drain him right there, but I felt the pull of the dawn. I knew I'd have to leave soon, and Sookie was vulnerable. There was a human hell-bent on killing women seen with vampires, and I wouldn't be able to protect her. That honor would fall to Sam during the day, and I resented him even as I felt grateful for his loyalty to her.

"They are right," I said to Sookie as soon as the police and the coroners were in their vehicles and driving away. "You should not stay here."

"I agree," Sam said. "You can have my trailer. I'll sleep at the bar."

"I'm as safe here as anywhere," Sookie insisted. "Besides, I've got both of you to protect me, haven't I?" She looked from Sam to me with pleading, desperate eyes.

I had very little time, and it was painful to point out the obvious. "Sookie," I reluctantly said. "I have to go."

She swallowed and nodded. "Of course. It's almost dawn."

I nodded, hating myself. "I will come back… later," I promised.

"I can take it from here," Sam said as he took a step closer to Sookie. Once more, I felt the urge to attack him. I was sure the feeling was mutual as we stared at each other, and I heard the faint rumble start in Sam's chest. Sookie didn't need us fighting right now, and I needed Sam alive to keep Sookie safe.

I turned my gaze back to Sookie, and I leaned in, nearly kissing her forehead, but I stopped myself, not wanting to make a scene with Sam right there.

"Don't worry about me," Sookie said with a sad, forced smile. "Go."

I hesitated for another moment before abruptly leaving. I walked off the porch at a brisk human pace, and I didn't run until I was in the cover of the trees. It was difficult to move quickly as the sky began to lighten in the East. The birds were singing as I quickly changed my clothes and latched my trapdoor.

In the few seconds before the sleep of the dead pulled me under its spell, I realized I'd never felt so impotent. I'd never been vexed by my daytime slumber, but since I'd met Sookie, the nights seemed unbearably short and the days hopelessly long. Something long dead inside me began to stir, and I understood in that moment that protecting Sookie was more than an edict from the Queen. More even than my selfish need to protect my bonded human: I loved her.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: My continuing and gracious "thanks" to everyone reading and responding. It's lovely to know that other people are enjoying reading my version of events as much as I am enjoying writing them.

I'm most grateful to Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball for their amazing efforts, and I'll respectfully return their toys when I'm done playing with them. It's so nice of them to share.

______________________________________________________________________

Seventh Night

The late-afternoon sun streamed through the open window in Sookie's room, and a gentle breeze fluttered the curtain. Sookie was asleep, her blond hair fanned out on the pillow. Her breaths came deeply and rhythmically; not even a flutter of an eyelid disturbed her peaceful slumber. She wore a white, eyelet blouse and a flowered skirt, reminiscent of something ladies would've worn when I was a human.

I heard the floor creak, and suddenly, strong male hands circled her neck. Her eyes flew open, and she uselessly fought his grip. The hands squeezed harder, and I felt her panic as she tried to breathe.

"Bill!" she gasped as she struggled.

"AUGH!"

My eyes opened to the darkness of my hiding-hole. I reached for the light, and I knew before looking at my watch that the sun had not yet set. It was 5:50, two hours until sunset. I tried to rise anyway, but my limbs didn't respond, their weight as dead and useless as I. I struggled against the compulsion to sleep, picking up my head from the dry dirt floor, but even as I forced my heavy eyes open, I knew I couldn't save her.

The minutes dragged past agonizingly slow. Sookie's usual humming energy felt oddly dull and muffled, but it wasn't gone, and I didn't know what that meant. I fitfully dozed only to shake myself awake, waiting for the sun to drop below the horizon so I could be alive again.

As soon as night fell, I threw open the trapdoor and raced from my house. I flashed across the cemetery and through Sookie's front door, not bothering to close it behind me. I rushed up the stairs, the smell of strangers over-powering Sookie and Adele's distinctively sweet scents. Two humans ran up behind me, but I didn't stop until I reached her.

"Sookie!" I pled as I flung myself onto her bed. "Sookie!" I shook her arm, and it only barely registered that her skin was soft and warm under my fingers. "Sookie! Sookie! Sookie!"

She finally opened her eyes. "Bill?" she asked. She blinked and swallowed as if her mouth was stiff and dry. "What's wrong?"

"I thought…" I sighed in relief. She looked confused, and I felt her trying to will herself awake. "I had a dream," I said. "That's all. You go back to sleep."

"But I…" she began.

"You don't worry; I'm not going anywhere." I smiled at her. "Go on."

Her eyes slowly closed, and she turned onto her side, pulling my hand into her own. She wrapped my arm around her like a blanket, and I knelt next to her bed, the way I had in prayer as a boy. I wanted to crawl in bed beside her. I longed to lie down, to hold her against my chest and keep her safe. I wanted to whisper sweetness into her dreams and bathe myself in her scent until dawn.

But I couldn't presume that. I smelled chemicals in her blood, and she needed to rest, and I didn't know if she would want me at the house protecting her, let alone in her bed. I couldn't, I wouldn't. As difficult as it was at times, I was grateful I couldn't be tempted to glamour her. I wanted to earn her trust and affections the old-fashioned way.

Reluctantly, I retrieved my hand from her warm fingers. I eased my weight back to the floor, and I for the first time since being made vampire, I was tempted to pray. I didn't know if God existed or, if He did, if he was my God anymore, but I wanted to thank the universe for this woman before me, for making me see for the first time in too long that all was not lost. But even that simple act seemed far from my grasp. Instead, I leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She smiled in her sleep, and I finally rose.

Tara and a human male hovered in the doorway as I walked past them, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Sookie had done a remarkable job with the cleaning. Not a trace of blood remained, which was an impressive feat. My thirst, resulting from the daytime wakefulness and rush to get here, forced me to gulp the TruBlood as soon as the microwave dinged. As I microwaved the second, I rinsed the first bottle and dropped it in the recycle pail.

"Good evening, Tara," I finally said as I retrieved the second bottle. The warmed glass felt good in my hands, and I cradled the bottled against my unbeating heart, wishing it were Sookie's warm hand there instead. Tara, who was now hovering in the kitchen doorway with the human male, jumped.

"Um…" she stammered. "This is my cousin Lafayette." She gestured to the man, who nodded at me.

I returned the nod. "Why is she drugged?"

"It's not drugs," Lafayette said, rolling his eyes. "Why does everybodys thinks it's drugs?" He snorted before quickly looking up and staring at me horrified. "I'm sorry," he quickly added. "It's not drugs."

"What did you give her?" I asked.

"Just a valium."

"What dosage?"

He looked as if he didn't understand how I would know about medication before finally answering. "I don't waste no one's time with the fuckin' Pez," he said. "It's the big one, 10 mg. It just knocked her out because… well… Sook's not used to it, and she was exhausted."

I nodded. "She's been asleep all afternoon?"

"No," Tara said. "People were over for a while, but I kicked them out a few hours ago."

I smiled at both of them. "You're good friends," I said, stating the obvious. They stared at me with wide eyes and didn't respond. "You'll stay here tonight?" I asked. "In case she wakes up."

They both nodded again. "We won't leave her," Lafayette said.

"Alright," I said.

My presence obviously unsettled them, so I walked out the still-open front door. I closed it gently behind me and stood in the yard below Sookie's window, sipping on the TruBlood. Her human friends, who wouldn't be tempted to lick her tears if she woke up crying, rightfully kept their place inside.

***

"Can I help you?" the young black woman said when she answered the door.

"Yes," I politely bowed. "I'm Thomas Holliday. My father is Mrs. Compton's cousin." She nodded at me, and as I looked more closely, I realized she bore a striking resemblance to Rebecca. I wondered if she was Rebecca's granddaughter, and I fervently hoped she considered the house her home so she could invite me inside. "I'm passing through on my way east, and I wanted to pay my respects. My father always spoke so highly of Mrs. Compton."

She smiled and opened the door wider. "Please sir, won't you come in."

I carefully probed the invisible barrier with my foot and smiled as I walked inside my house for the first time in nearly forty years. "Thank you so much," I said. "I do apologize for the late hour…"

"And I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, Mr. Holliday," she said. "But Mrs. Compton's not well enough to receive visitors. The doctor says it's a miracle she's still alive."

I looked the girl in the eyes and focused my thoughts into hers. "I want you to go to the kitchen and make a cup of tea," I said in a kind, gentle voice. "I am not here. You have never heard of or met Thomas Holliday. You will check on Mrs. Compton in one hour, and then you will go to bed as usual. You will not come upstairs until then."

"Yes sir," she said in a flat tone before walking slowly towards the kitchen.

I walked up the stairs, breathing in the smell of the house. So little had changed since I was a boy, and as I ran my hand over the smooth wood of the banister, I wondered if I was making a mistake by coming.

It'd been simple enough to glamour one of the vast Holliday clan into believing I was a distant cousin, and "Thomas Holliday" received regular updates on the activities in Bon Temps. The letters were mailed to an office in Austin, Texas, and there they were forwarded to where ever Lorena and I happened to be living. She mocked me mercilessly when they arrived, laughing at my "human sentimentality," but she'd sulk for nights afterwards, demanding that I declare my affections and loyalty to her. When the last one came bearing the news that Caroline was dying, I begged Lorena to let me come home. She'd finally relented, and I left her in New Orleans at the palace with the Queen while I traveled to Bon Temps.

I heard Caroline's shallow, labored breathing from the hall, and I stepped silently into her bedroom. She was propped up with many pillows in the large bed, a single candle flickering on the nightstand. Her hair was still long and thick, but it was white now, carefully woven into a braid. Though I didn't make a sound, she turned and looked at me.

"Oh William," she sighed, not at all surprised to see me standing before her. She beamed at me and held out her hand. I rushed across the room, to quickly for her to see my movement, and I carefully took it in my own. It was nearly as cool as mine, the skin as thin and fragile as onion paper. I felt the blood moving in her veins as I sat lightly on the edge of the bed. "I've been waiting for you to come," she said.

"Caroline," I said, tears stinging my eyes.

"Handsome as ever," she smiled. She put her other hand on top of mine. "Caroline," I said again. I swallowed several times and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I finally said. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep my promise."

She smiled again. "But you did. You're here. I knew you would come for me."

"Come for you?" I asked.

"To take me with you. I'm ready, William. I've lived too long without you."

"I…" I began. "I…"

"I saw our fortune fall with the South. I knew the agony of never seeing your face again." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I cared for your parents and watched them die. I raised our children." She smiled. "Another two months, and we'll be great-grandparents, did you know that?"

I shook my head. "I did not."

"I'm ready," she repeated. "To be with you again. I'm not afraid."

"Oh, Caroline," I said, and I held her hand to my face as I cried. Whatever heaven waited for her, I would not be there.

"I've always loved you," she sighed.

"I love you, too," I said. As I continued to cry, my blood-tears dripping down her wrist, I didn't hear her take another breath. I listened as her heart beats slowed. "Caroline," I whispered, gently shaking her hand. "Caroline?" Her heart made a final swoosh, and then was silent. "Caroline?"

I perched on the edge of my wife's bed for a long time, holding her hand. I heard the clock in the entryway chime, and the young woman clattered her teacup in the kitchen sink. I quickly wiped my tears from her hand with my handkerchief. As the maid started up the stairs, I slipped out the window, jumping silently to the ground as she walked in.

She must've caught a glimpse of me, and I held my breath behind the oak tree in the yard, the tree that still carried the scars of my last trip home, as she peered out of the window into the night. I watched as she dismissed the notion that she'd seen something, and turned to my wife. I heard her voice whisper, "Miss Caroline?" There was a pause. "Miss Caroline?" I heard as she sniffled, and she whispered, "May you rest in peace."

I followed her steps back downstairs to the kitchen, and I listened as she cranked the telephone to life and called the doctor in Bon Temps. Next she called Sarah's home, and then Thomas'. I stood vigil in the yard that night, out of sight as my children arrived, and Sarah and the young woman spoke in whispers about which dress to bury Caroline in. I shed a silent tear when Sarah insisted that she be buried with her wedding ring and the photograph of me in my uniform, taken just before I'd left for war.

Moments before dawn, I dug into the damp ground near the cemetery, wondering where Caroline's body would be put to rest. I rose the following night, and I could hear the house buzz with voices and activity, and I considered brushing off the dirt and once again presenting myself as a long, lost Holliday cousin. But the risk was too great, and I didn't belong to that world. I didn't deserve to mourn her like her friends and family.

Instead, I walked to the train station and caught the last evening train to Shreveport. Once there, I followed the directions I'd received at the palace to an upscale bar downtown, done up very tastefully in polished, golden wood and red velvet. Lorena had whispered to me of Eric the Northman, who'd moved from Europe only recently, and I was nervous to meet such a legend. The vampire at the door immediately led me through the oblivious humans to a back office.

"Sheriff," I bowed my head and handed the tall, blond vampire the sealed letter the Queen instructed me to deliver. He looked me over before sitting behind the desk, casually leaning back in the chair and propping up his feet.

He smiled and chuckled as he read, and then he turned his gaze back to me. "Who are you, Mr. Compton, that the Queen herself decrees my hospitality?"

"I'm no one," I answered.

"Oh contraire," he smiled, his voice carrying just a hint of an accent. "The Queen does not dispense her favor lightly. You must be someone."

"I am not," I insisted. "I am merely passing through."

"You need to be careful, young one," he quietly said. "The Queen's favor comes at an extremely high price." He laughed and rose, circling me before tossing the letter into the crackling fire. "Do you play?" he asked, nodding to a chess board.

"Some," I said.

He grinned. "Spoken like a true master. Come, my Child has the night off, and I'm bored." He rolled his eyes. "Newborns… I'd forgotten how much work is involved." He motioned for me to take white, and I made my first move. "So," he said conversationally. "Where do you call home?"

I blinked. "I don't." He rolled his eyes and gestured with his hand for more information. Even as I knew he was a new Sheriff, and I didn't live in his area, it was wise to stay out of trouble. "I lived my human life in a small town not far from here," I said.

He nodded. "Do you visit often?"

"No."

"I miss snow," he quietly said.

"Why did you move here?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I was ready for something new," he said. "Sophie-Ann owed me a favor, and playing Sheriff for a time seemed fun. Naturally, everyone is abuzz with the idea that I'll take over the country." He laughed.

"Will you?" I asked.

"Thinking of going into politics?" he casually said as he contemplated the board.

"No," I said. "Just curious."

He nodded. "The price of power is that once you have it, you must always worry that someone will take it. They always try… I find it suits my purposes to have enough power to be left alone, but not so much that it makes me a target." He moved his piece. "So why are you 'passing through' my Area?"

"Personal business," I said as I countered his attack.

"Come, William…" he began.

"Bill," I corrected.

He looked at me and smiled. "The letter referred to you as William."

"I prefer Bill," I said.

"But the Queen calls you William?" I nodded, and he laughed. "Oh! You're in trouble for sure. I hope you have a strong Maker to protect you until you're old enough to defend yourself… But then again," he continued after a moment. "Even if you're older and stronger than a Queen, you're not as powerful… So, Bill," Eric said, putting emphasis on my name. "What are you doing in my Area?"

I swallowed several times, and he looked up from the board to stare at me curiously. "My wife died," I finally said.

"Your wife?" he asked. I nodded and looked away. "Your human wife?" I swallowed and nodded again. He started laughing. I looked at him, surprised and more than a little offended. "You're worse off than I thought."

I stood up and backed away from the table. "I apologize for any rudeness, but I'd like to be on my way back to New Orleans and my Maker." I bowed again. "If you'll kindly allow me to go…"

"Sit down, Bill," he said.

"Sheriff," I began. "I'd…"

"I heard you," he quietly said, his gaze fixed on the board again. His tone was quiet and dangerous. "I have excellent hearing."

"Yes sir," I said as I sat down.

We took several turns in silence, not looking at each other.

"You don't love her," he finally said. When I simply looked at him, he continued. "Your human wife. You don't love her. You're not grieving for her."

I glowered at him for a few seconds before answering, my voice cold and measured: "That's rather presumptuous."

Eric laughed again. "Yes, well, I'm a rather presumptuous kind-of guy. One doesn't live as long as I have without learning a thing or two. Why would I pretend otherwise?"

"I don't care how long you've lived," I said. "You don't know me."

"That's true," he said. "But I read people very accurately. And I know that you selected your wife from a handful of available females. She was chosen for her money, or, more accurately, her father's money, and her ability to bear children. You don't love her."

"I don't?"

"No," Eric said. "Check." I stared down at the board and growled. I was forced to use my Queen to defend my King, which left her open to his Queen, which he promptly took. "Check mate," he smiled.

I pushed over my King. "I usually win."

He shrugged. "Don't feel too badly. I've had a few hundred more years of practice."

"This isn't love?" I finally asked in a quiet voice.

"Maybe," he said. "As you pointed out, I don't know you. But I do know that humans very rarely marry for love. My suspicion is that what you're actually grieving is the loss of your human life." I didn't respond. "This too, shall pass, my young friend," he continued. "Given enough time, you'll see the foolishness of desiring that which is unobtainable."

"Is happiness obtainable?" I asked. "Love?"

"Do you love your Maker?" I looked away and didn't answer. "Fair enough," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "We are a lucky few who do. But I guarantee that he or she loves you." He shrugged. "I don't claim to have all the answers. I only know the lesson my Maker taught me, which I'll pass along to you, free of charge." He shook his head, as if he was surprising himself. "I'm new to this country and new to my Area. Another few years, and I won't be as generous." Eric smiled, and I quickly decided I would never want to be considered his enemy. "There are only two options in this life: survival and death. I choose survival every time."

He stared at me, his eyes ice-blue and clear, like nothing I'd ever seen. "One day, you'll find love. True love like nothing a mere human can even begin to comprehend. And you'll turn whoever's able to stir your heart into feeling."

"I will never be a Maker," I quickly said.

Eric only smiled. "Never is a long time when forever stretches out before you. You will…" He sadly gazed into the fire, and for the first time, I considered the burden of surviving for centuries. "You will not be able to bear the loneliness. You will need someone to know you. And one or two, maybe three, times in a long, long lifetime, you will find what seems to be a suitable companion. And then, inevitably, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, your Child, your love, your own blood, will grow to hate you, as all life resents cages, no matter how beautiful and well-disguised the bars."

As he spoke, I thought of the paradox that was Lorena, and how different it would be to live with and serve another who I trusted and admired.

"You'll let them go," Eric continued, his voice quiet and far away. "And your heart will break, and you'll never be able to completely block the bond, and you body will crave them, even if you despise each other. You'll wonder how you'll survive another night, another year, another decade, another century. But you will." He paused and leaned towards me, once again meeting my gaze. When he spoke, his voice was firm and resolved: "You'll rise. You'll feed. You'll beat back the tedium of time. And you'll survive."

The truth of his dire prediction horrified me, and I looked away in shame as a single tear escaped. I hated myself for what I was, and I hated myself even more so being so weak, for making myself vulnerable to this man, the first vampire I'd met who I actually admired and wanted to know. I moved to wipe the blood from my face, but his hand quickly stopped me, his grip firm on my wrist.

"May I?" he whispered, leaning in towards me. His fangs slide out, and I tried to back up. "No," he begged, and I instinctively knew this was a man didn't ask others for anything. "Please."

He leaned closer to me, and I watched as he carefully inhaled the scent of my blood before slowly, sensually, licking my cheek with his cool tongue. I immediately hardened at the intimacy, and a low moan escaped my throat as he lapped the blood gently from my skin. He flashed back to his chair, his eyes closed as he leaned back, licking his lips and savoring my taste.

I felt my blood inside him, and I caught compassion and envy and fierce, protective loyalty from the fragile bond. Eric laughed quietly, and I quickly raised my eyes to his.

"You should definitely stay out of politics," he said. "And away from card games. Your face is an open-book. I could help you with that…" His voice trailed off as he shook his head. "I don't do that very often, but I just couldn't resist… You are an unexpected treasure."

"You're not what I expected," I admitted.

He grinned. "Do they tell stories of me?"

"They do."

"Do they fear me?"

"They do," I repeated.

He laughed. "Good. Fear keeps the warmongers at bay. I don't suffer fools. And while nothing's better than an honorable fight, most battles are for all the wrong reasons."

"There's no such thing as an honorable fight," I said.

He smiled again. "A warrior, too…" He sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, his long hair tumbling around his shoulders. "I see why the Queen favors you," he finally said. "Tread carefully, Bill. Tread very, very carefully. Come, let's play again." He silently moved his chess pieces back to their starting positions.

***

"Do you think they're capable of loving a person?" Tara asked Lafayette inside the house. She'd been standing at the window for some time, watching me stand guard below Sookie's window.

The old sofa creaked, and Lafayette came up behind her, looking at me over Tara's shoulder. "Who knows what they're capable of…" he quietly said.

I smiled as I asked myself the same question, wondering if they would find it ironic that I didn't know the answer. I heard as Sam trotted across the lawn. I raised my bottle of TruBlood to him before taking a sip.

"The murderer was at the bar," I quietly said, barely moving my lips because the humans were still watching me. Sam cocked his head to the side and stared up at me. It was enormously insulting that he continued to appear before me as a fucking dog. "Keep your eyes open for him," I said.

"Rrpf."

I sighed. "Go home, Sam." He made a growling noise. "Stop growling at me and go home. You were up all night. You've probably been up all day. Go home."

He flopped into the grass and glared up at me, smiling in a dog-sort-of-way, before resting his head on his paws.

"Damnit, Sam." I kneeled down and looked him in the eyes. "I can't be there tomorrow. She's needs you. Go get some sleep."

The dog whimpered.

"Yes. Sleep. So she's not alone tomorrow, you moron." I stood up and refused to look at him again. "I'll watch her tonight, and you can have her all day tomorrow without me."

Sam sighed wearily, and then he got up and trotted off. He would be next to her tomorrow. I saw him standing next to Adele's grave with Sookie, her little hand held tightly in his. Maybe he'd press a handkerchief into her hands as she wept, or wipe her tears from her cheeks.

There was only about thirty minutes until dawn when I heard Sookie yawn. Her sheets rustled, and the bed-frame creaked as she stretched. I quietly let myself in the front door. Lafayette was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. Tara had gone upstairs hours before to sleep in the room that used to be Jason's. I flashed up the stairs and quietly knocked on Sookie's door.

She opened immediately, her face breaking into a smile when she saw me. "Bill," she whispered. "Have you been here all night?"

I nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Her chin wavered, and she looked away. "It's all my fault, isn't it? Whoever did this came for me."

"No, Sookie," I said, putting my hand on her arm. "It was not your fault."

She started to cry. "Jason was right," she said. "Gran's dead because of me…"

I pulled her into my arms and she wept into my chest. The noise must've woken Tara, who stood in the doorway of Jason's old room, silently watching us. She glared at me.

"I wish I could be there for you today," I finally said.

She sniffled and stepped back. "Don't be silly, Bill. It's not your choice."

"That doesn't mean it's not true."

She nodded. "I know."

"I'll come over as soon I can?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I'll…" She swallowed and looked away. "I'll come to you when I'm ready." I gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and licked my fingers as she watched. "It's almost dawn again," she said.

"I know."

"Seems like it's always almost dawn."

"You have no idea," I said. I pressed her against me, and she wrapped her arms around my back. I kissed the top of her head, her forehead, her ear. "She loved you," I whispered. "She loved you so much." Silent tears streamed down her face again.

"I know," she nodded.

I wanted to tell her that I loved her too, but I couldn't bring myself to do it on the morning of her grandmother's funeral. Instead, I kissed her forehead again and left her standing outside her bedroom door, overwhelmed by my own inadequacy.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Oh! The pressure of filling in the gaps of the sublime perfection that is "Cold Ground." *sigh* Sorry it took so long to update, but I was experiencing performance anxiety. I wasn't terribly successful, I'm afraid, but I did my best to fulfill expectations, as Bill in this particular scene is Bill not only as his most feral, but simultaneously most vulnerable. _It hurts so good._

I don't have any right whatsoever to be doing this; Ms. Harris wrote SVM, and Mr. Ball created True Blood, and frankly, I'm prostrate before the alter of all that is Beautiful and True for Ms. Tucker's writing and Mr. Moyer's and Ms. Paquin's acting in this particular scene.

My most gracious thanks to everyone who's reading my story, and all the helpful and encouraging reviews are appreciated more than I can express. A special thank you to my like-mindeds for all their support.

And that, I believe, is enough gushing, as everyone probably skipped this note anyway in their eagerness to dive into the good parts. Without further ado:

_______________________________________________________________________

Night Eight

I woke to a quiet despair that wasn't entirely my own. My sleep had been untroubled by dreams, but a general sense of sadness permeated my thoughts. My first instinct was to rush to Sookie, but she'd asked me to wait. Up until these past few nights, patience was just a practical facet of immortality; there wasn't a reason to hurry if time no longer mattered. But with Sookie came a sense of urgency, an unexpected anticipation, a compulsion. I felt a need I didn't recognize from my human life, and I was driven by paranoia to gather her into myself, quickly, before she slipped away.

My unease was not aided by the two text messages from Eric since the night we were at Fangtasia. The first simply read, "Call," but the second was more ominous: "Bill, I'm warning you. Call me." I knew Eric, and he wouldn't give up. I could only hope that I'd have a chance to prove myself worthy to her before he threw his hat into the ring.

I lit a fire, and Sookie's sadness made me nostalgic, so I lit candles instead of turning on the lights. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't disappointed Sookie hadn't called. She'd had a difficult day, and she was probably busy at her house. I knew humans gathered when one of their own died, and there would be covered dishes of food and quiet retellings of the stories of Adele's life and flipping through old photographs. Perhaps Sookie sat on the sofa, surrounded by her own kind and the sickly-sweet smell of cut flowers. Her human friends, who would've stood by her at the funeral today, could comfort her now with a warm hand, a tear, a shared mortal experience.

Suddenly, a surge of desire flooded the bond. Normally a quiet, contained hum in the back of my mind, her feelings overwhelmed me, spilling out as I held my hand to my chest against the onslaught of her passion. I threw open both front doors and strode out to the porch, and I gripped the railing so hard I head the metal creak. I closed my eyes to focus on her, and that's when I heard it: footsteps, gasping breaths, and a racing heart. Someone was running across the cemetery. Even as I knew it could only be Sookie, a strangled cry escaped my lips when I saw her, running in her bare feet, running, I knew, to me.

I rushed down the steps and ran across the yard to meet her. We crashed into each other in our haste, and I didn't hesitate before kissing her. It was hungry and desperate, beyond any words, and I felt her need as clearly as my own. I held her face between my hands and dipped my tongue into her mouth to taste her and pressed her against my hardness. She grasped my hair in her fingers and rubbed against me as she moaned. At her pleasured sound, it was all I could do to stop from taking her there on the grass. Instead, I picked her up and carried her to the house, my lips frantically sucking and nibbling her mouth, my tongue demanding entrance to her mouth.

I closed the doors with my foot, and I knew that she would finally be mine. Not just claimed with words, but mine. _Mine._ I flashed to the hearth, spreading a throw from the sofa on the floor before the fire. I gently put her down and eased away from her warmth. I sat back on my heels and consumed her with my eyes as I took several deeps breaths to calm my impatient need to possess her. I could see her heartbeat as it fluttered in her neck, and she hesitantly leaned towards me.

Her hands trembled as she unbuttoned my shirt, gently tugging it loose from my slacks as she worked her way down. I reached over and unbuttoned the two tiny buttons on the back of her gown and slid it off her arms. Like in my dream, it slithered to a silken puddle on the floor, and Sookie glowed in the light of the fire, unashamed as she leaned back, her hair a golden halo against the crimson velvet pillow.

She tugged on my hair to follow her, and once more I kissed her. She shivered as my bare chest pressed against her skin, and my fingers left a trail of goosebumps on her arms.

I nuzzled her pulse in her neck, savoring her unique smell and the sound of her heartbeat thundering in my ear. There was something subtly different about her scent, something even more rich and more sweet than usual. It was a warm and toasted aroma that spoke of dark, secret, fecund places, and I wondered what she'd eaten as my fangs painfully demanded their release.

Her hot fingers pushed my open shirt from my shoulders, her fingernails dragging across my back as she slipped the sleeves from my arms. Her thumb brushed against my lips, and I longed to suck it into my mouth, but her pulsing blood so close to my tongue was too much to bear, and I pulled away from her in shame as my fangs clicked into place.

Her hands played in my hair, and I felt her uncertainty as she whispered, "Is something wrong?"

I'd never wanted so desperately to be a man, just a regular human man, as I did in that moment, with this naked woman warm and soft beneath me. I lifted my face to hers, my mouth open so she could see the proof that I was a monster, and I braced myself for her rejection, for her fear to overcome her passion.

She swallowed, and when she slowly pulled me back to her embrace, I didn't breathe or move or do anything in fear I'd spook her and she'd change her mind. But she sucked my lip into her hot mouth, and the tip of her tongue hesitantly explored first one fang, and then the other. I opened my mouth and submitted to her gentle probing, giving her time to adjust to the sharp points.

Slowly, I returned her kisses, moving my fingers down her body to play with her pebbled nipples. I sucked one into my mouth, careful not to break her fragile skin with my fangs. I turned my attentions to the other, and my fingers skimmed across her belly and lower, to her already damp curls. I spread the wetness onto my fingertips as I slowly worked my way into her. She was so hot and so tight, the walls of muscle clenching my finger as I come up against her maidenhead. I gently stretched her, readying her for me, and she moaned and undulated against my hand.

Her tentative hands moved down my chest, lingering on my nipples. She ran her fingers through my hair and traced my muscles, her hand finally coming to rest on my belt. I carefully shifted to give her more access, and she hesitated only slightly before undoing the buckle and then working the button and zipper. My erection was painfully hard, and she brushed up against it as she tried to free me. Her eyes widened when she realized I wasn't wearing anything under my slacks, and I kissed her again as she eased my pants over my hips, and I kicked them away.

My fingers danced, teasing and stretching her, as she continued her tentative exploration, her fingers blazing hot against my skin. I nuzzled her neck, licking the frantic heartbeat in her neck, once more savoring the rich scent of her blood. I didn't want to scare her, but I was quickly reaching an inability to stop, and I groaned my need as I sucked lightly on her neck.

"Do it," she said, arching her neck to the side. "I want you to…"

I drew back, running my nose along her vein, focusing my control. Moments before, I'd wanted nothing more than to be a man, but now I could only relish what I knew was coming. I fought to rein in the vampire who would ravage the rare and precious jewel spread before him like an offering to the gods. Draining her would be exquisite pleasure, and the beast raging inside me longed to suck her dry, to pound into her until she cracked, to lick the marrow from her splintered bones. The smell of her arousal, the heat of her blood as it rushed beneath the surface of her skin, the pounding of her heart, the gasp of her breath: too much. She sang to me ancient songs of the earth, of running my fingers through damp, fertile soil, the pungent aroma of life itself fluttering beneath my fingers.

I hissed as I struck. My fangs stabbed her taut skin, and it resisted slightly before yielding. She gasped at the pain and her fingers clawed my back as I slowly buried myself to the hilt inside her vein. When I released, her blood rushed into my mouth and her heart drummed in my ears.

Her blood was the holiest of holy wines, and I wantonly lapped the wound in broad strokes, never having tasted such richness, such ecstasy. Nothing a human could ever know or feel came close to this communion, and I had to have her, all of her. It took everything I had to stop drinking, to pull away and look at her for permission. My head reeled, and my entire body tingled as if shocked with electricity. She swam before my eyes as she nodded.

I held my breath and thrust into her; her maidenhead stopped me. I thrust again, hard enough to break through that final barrier that separated us. She grimaced and whimpered in pain, but I couldn't stop. I withdrew and kissed her, and her tongue must've tasted her own blood in my mouth. I drew on my marks on her neck. As I swallowed two, then three, then four mouthfuls of her sweet iron-wine, I heard the moans. Hers, mine, ours. They joined to make a hymn of praise and adoration to the night.

I saw blood-visions of Sookie as a little girl, running lithely through the cemetery that separated our houses. I heard her laugh and saw the sunlight playing on her golden head. I saw Adele and a strange, glowing man smiling at her from the porch, love shining from their eyes. I poured every happiness I'd ever known into our bond as I drank, willing her to give up any dark thought to me.

As I sucked savagely on the wound, she came, her tight muscles clenching around me, her fingers digging into my bottom cheeks as she pulled me even closer.

When her internal spasms subsided, I licked the wound closed on her neck and pulled out, afraid of taking too much, her cry of protest as she felt my absence like the sound of angels singing. I licked and kissed and sucked my way down until I was kneeling before her. With my fingers, I wiped her maidenhead blood from my skin, and she watched as I licked her blood from my fingers. I bent her knees and spread her legs wide, nuzzling and sucking the skin over her femoral artery before lapping at her lower lips with long, wide strokes. She shivered and tried to close her legs, but I pushed them apart as I plunged my tongue deep inside, savoring every drop of her innocence.

When only the taste of her arousal remained, I pierced my tongue with both fangs, and I bathed her insides with my blood. I swirled my thumb against her swollen, secret place, and I reached and licked and spread my blood inside her, re-opening my tongue twice before she came again, writhing and moaning as she pulled my hair, her hips bucking against my mouth.

She was still shuddering when I thrust inside her again, this time more forcefully, knowing that my blood had healed her. She clung to me as I pounded into her, and when I felt her begin for the third time, I finally allowed myself my own desperate release, roaring as I came, white spots blinding my vision.

When it was over, I carefully shifted my weight so I didn't crush her. It'd been so long since I'd released inside a woman, decades since I'd parted from Lorena, and I longed to stay inside her wet warmth. I could've happily spent the rest of my immortal life buried in her.

Finally, I eased out and propped on my elbow, hoping the heat of the fire would counter my cool body pressed against her. The bond hummed with a new potency, and I threw my leg over hers. I carefully matched my breathing to hers, and I watched as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing grew steady.

***

She smiled up at me. "I'm all noodley," she finally said.

"I can help with that," I said. "Wait here."

I flashed up the stairs to start the bath, and then I hurried to the kitchen before returning back to the hearth.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I'll get used to that…"

I cracked open the bottle of water, holding it to her lips. "You need to drink this." I carefully fed her two of the vitamins I'd bought, and she never questioned what I was giving her. She drank the water in greedy swallows, and when it was gone, I shook the carton of milk, inserted the straw, and held it for her.

"Strawberry milk? Like a snack in kindergarten?"

"It's organic," I defended.

"Organic means expensive," she said as she took a sip. "Mmmm. Organic must also mean really good. How did you know strawberry milk would taste so good?" She smiled at me around the straw as she quickly emptied the little carton.

I shrugged. "It doesn't need to be refrigerated, and it has protein and sugar. I thought…" I didn't want to tell her she needed the protein and sugar after I fed. Instead of answering, I gathered her into my arms and flashed up the stairs before she could get chilled.

The bath was ready, and I carefully eased her into the hot water. I quickly lit the candles in the bathroom and knelt next to the tub. She leaned back, and I wet her hair and massaged her scalp, working the shampoo into a rich lather. I reverently washed her body, running my fingers over every inch of her as I soaped in small, gentle circles. After I rinsed her hair and all the soap, I drained the water from the tub and refilled it.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked as I flashed back from the kitchen with another bottle of water.

"Do I look cold?" I teased as I stood naked before her, physically ready to take her again.

She blushed and looked away as she swallowed most of the water. "No…" she finally said. "Do you ever get cold?"

"We can freeze in extreme conditions," I said, not sure what she was asking. "I've never experienced it, but I understand the recovery is excruciating."

"No," she repeated, shaking her head. "Not freezing, but just cold? Can you feel cold or hot, or is it all just…" she waved her hand helplessly as she searched for the correct word.

"Not like I did as a human," I said. "But yes, I feel it. It's just… different. More. Everything's more..." I struggled to describe it to her. "Warmth, especially, feels divine." I smiled at her in the steamy mirror and wiped the condensation with my hand.

"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, her face childlike in her delight. "I thought you were supposed to be invisible in a mirror."

I smiled and turned to her. "We started most of the myths about ourselves many centuries ago. If humans thought we couldn't be seen in a mirror, it was another way to prove we weren't vampire." I climbed into the tub with her. "And that way, we could stay hidden."

"So what about holy water?" Sookie asked.

"It's just water," I said as I playfully splashed her.

"Crucifixes?"

"Geometry," I countered.

"Garlic," she said with a smile.

"It's irritating," I admitted. "But that's pretty much it."

"Whoa," she sighed as she leaned back. "I feel a little weak."

"Of course you do," I said. "I fed on your blood." My fingers brushed against my bite marks on her neck, and I let my hand rest on her shoulder. "You should take some vitamin B12 to replenish."

"Will I have to do that everyday?"

"If you don't mind," I said, not comprehending how she could be so receptive and understanding. "Yes. And no garlic," I teased before settling back into the warm water, knowing it would be impossible to avoid garlic in Louisiana.

"Is it always like this?" she whispered.

"No, it is not." I wanted to tell her how it'd never been like this, how never in my long life, either human or vampire, had I felt like this. I wanted her to understand that I'd only ever been with a woman like that twice before, with Caroline and then with Lorena, but how I hadn't really chosen either one of them. She was, in all the ways that matter, my first too.

"I never thought I'd be able to…" she blushed again and looked down.

"I am honored that you chose me," I said, hoping she could at least understand my sincerity. She looked away, and a strong sense of sadness and regret and shame washed over me. "Sookie?" I quietly asked.

She shook her head. "It was just… touching…" and I immediately understood what she was referring to. Her innocence of men wasn't just because of her telepathy. I fought to control my rage as I thought of a man's hands touching her, fondling her against her will. "Wasn't nearly as bad as what happens to some girls," she justified.

"Did you tell anyone?" I managed to ask, pleased that my voice sounded calm and gentle.

"Gran. She ran him off and never spoke to him again. Her own brother…"

"It wasn't your fault," I said.

"I know that," she replied, her voice sharp. She closed her eyes, and when she spoke again, it was more quietly. "But, here I am, having just had one of the most important experiences in a girl's life, and it was so, so perfect…" I smiled at her, but I didn't interrupt to tell her it was so very perfect for me too. "And I hate," she continued. "That I can't not think about him."

I smiled again and pulled her to my chest. "You think about whatever you think about," I soothed. I nuzzled her hair and draped my arm protectively over her shoulder, my fingers gently caressing her skin. "It's okay," I whispered to her as I silently vowed to find this uncle who had hurt my Sookie. I would make him suffer. He would die painfully and afraid. He would pay for what he had done… "You're safe with me," I promised her. She sighed and settled into my chest, and I felt her body relax into mine.

***

We stayed in the tub until the water cooled. I pulled the stopper with my toes and quickly dried off before holding a fresh towel out for her.

"Such service," she said sleepily as I carefully dried her and combed the tangles from her damp hair. I carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. My skin was flushed pink and warm from her blood and the bath, and I gently leaned against her as I massaged oil into her skin. "What's that?"

"Moisturizer."

She was pliant under my hands as I turned her to do the front, enjoying the drips of golden oil trickling from her breasts before I rubbed in it.

"You're spoiling me," she said before yawning.

I smiled. "I am simply marveling at the wonder that is every inch of you."

"Your sheets smell nice," she finally whispered.

"Lavender," I said. "Rebecca used to put dried lavender with our linens; she said the smell made dreams sweeter."

"Who's Rebecca?" she murmured.

I covered her with a soft blanket and tucked her into my shoulder. "Shhh," I soothed. "Go to sleep."

For several minutes, all I heard was her soft, even breathing, and once again, I carefully matched mine to hers so she wasn't alarmed by my unmoving chest. I thought she'd fallen asleep, but she spoke again, her voice slow and thick: "Thank you, Bill."

"Oh, Sookie," I sighed, holding her as tightly as I dared as I kissed her, feeling truly alive with her in my arms. "No. Thank you."

I held her in my arms as she slept, her naked skin smooth and warm against me. I kissed her hair and ran my fingertips over my bite marks that claimed her as mine. I knew I should heal them because Sookie wasn't a random fangbanger, but with all my blood in her, they would heal quickly on their own, and I wanted everyone to know. She was my human, but more importantly, she'd chosen me. She'd offered herself to me, in everyway a person could offer herself, and her submission and trust were sexier than anything I'd ever experienced. I pushed away my nagging anxiety about the Queen and Eric's threats and wished this moment could last for all eternity. My phone rang several times downstairs, but I had no intention of moving. Only when I knew dawn was approaching did I gently lick and nip Sookie's ear.

"Sookie," I whispered. "Sookie."

"Mmmm…" she moaned as she snuggled closer to me.

"Sookie, it's almost dawn. Do you want to sleep here today?"

She yawned and stretched. "No, I should probably go home."

"You can stay here if you'd like."

She shook her head and blinked several times. "I have a bunch of things to do before work anyway."

"Maybe you should take a couple weeks off," I quietly suggested.

"What would Sam do?" she asked. "We're already short."

"Yes, but you need to…"

"I need to work, Bill," she interrupted, pulling away from me. I bit back my impatience at her absurd need to assert her independence. "And I need to stay busy right now."

I nodded. "When are you off tonight?"

"I close."

I leaned over and kissed her. "You can go home and get some more sleep then, but I'll be waiting for you tonight." I reluctantly got out of bed and pulled a fresh shirt from the closet for her. I held it out: "To wear home?"

"Can I have that one?" she pointed to the blue button-down I'd worn to the Decedents of the Glorious Dead, thrown casually over the chair in the corner.

"It's dirty," I said.

She wrapped herself in the blanket and picked up the shirt, holding it to her nose. "It smells like you," she said.

I smiled as I came up behind her, pushing away the blanket and kissing her shoulders. "It smells like me?" She nodded. "What do I smell like?"

"You don't know what you smell like?" she asked.

"I don't know what I smell like to you." I turned her to face me, tugging the blanket loose and dropping it to the floor as I pressed my hips against her. "What do I smell like?" I whispered into her neck as I nipped and sucked her tender skin, rolling her nipples between my fingers.

"You're distracting me…" she gasped.

"Tell me," I insisted as I continued to tease her, my fingers moving lower, circling her belly button before teasing her wet folds, darting around but not touching her clit.

"Dry…" she said as she pressed into me, her hips seductively moving against my hand. "Cool…" Her breath caught in her throat as I inserted first one, and then a second finger, my thumb working against her clit. "Like fall… in New England… Apple cider and colored leaves and crisp, moonlit walks…"

"Have you ever been to New England?" I asked as I kissed her, my tongue stroking hers. She shook her head no. "We should go…"

I walked to the bed, Sookie writhing as I carried her impaled on my hand. I turned her to face the bed, guiding her back to arch as I pushed her head into the mattress. I entered her from behind, my fingers working her front into a slick frenzy as her hands clawed at the covers.

I leaned over her and whispered into her ear, "Cum for me, Sookie. Cum for me one more time before I rest…"

She arched as I felt her inside muscles begin to clench around me, milking my own release. I grazed my fangs against her shoulder, careful not to break the skin as I shuddered inside her. She collapsed on the bed, and I eased out of her, gently lifting her legs to the bed while I went to the bathroom for a cloth to clean her. She hadn't moved when I returned with the warm, wet cloth, and I cleaned her tenderly as she trembled in aftershocks.

"Am I a terrible person?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"What?"

"I just buried Gran yesterday, not 24 hours ago, and I've had four…" She blushed and didn't finish. "It seems wrong."

"Look at me, Sookie," I insisted. She opened her eyes, and I sat down, holding her hand over my heart. "It's not wrong to reaffirm your own vitality or find comfort in the arms of someone who cares for you. Your grandmother would not have wanted you to spend last night alone or sad or weeping for her." A tear ran down her cheek, and I leaned over and licked it, amazed that her saline fluuids tasted better than most humans' blood. "You are amazing, Sookie. Don't ever think otherwise." I kissed her lips, and she tentatively smiled and nodded. I stood up and held out my hand to her. "It's almost dawn," I said.

She pulled on my shirt, once again burying her nose in the fabric as she buttoned it and rolled up the sleeves. I grabbed the first shirt I saw and pulled it on, and then a pair of slacks.

"Nothing underneath?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

If I could blush, I would've. "I don't like doing laundry," I explained.

"Yes, because underwear take so much time and energy to wash," she mocked with a laugh.

I pulled her to me, kissing her again. I couldn't get enough of her warmth against my skin, her taste on my tongue. "Do you object?" I asked, grinding my hardness into her.

She shook her head. "No..."

I took her hand and walked downstairs. After all that she'd given me, I wanted to give her something in return, so I handed her a key.

"For the front door," I said. Before she responded, I pressed against the secret door under the staircase. Her eyes widened as it swung open. I knelt down and lifted the trap door disguised under a small rug. "This is where I spend my days," I explained as I stood up.

She looked into the dark hole. "Does anyone ever get in there with you?"

I thought of Sookie lying on the dirt next to me, my body as cold and lifeless as a corpse. I shuddered in horror and shame. "This is not a place for you," I said.

"So we can never sleep beside each other?" she said, her voice small and sad.

"No one else knows where I rest," I pled with her to understand what I was giving her. My daytime resting place was my weakness, and we never revealed the location of where we lay helpless, not even to our own kind.

I kissed her tenderly, and she leaned in for more, but the gray dawn coming in from the windows made my limbs heavy and unresponsive. I rubbed my thumb against her lips, and she kissed it softly before I pulled away. I stepped down into my hole, staring up at her as I went to ground, her eyes the last thing I saw before closing the door behind me. I latched the trapdoor and listened as she closed the door to the room under the stairs. She sighed and lingered for a few seconds, a longing filling the bond, before I heard her lock the front door and walk towards her house.

I fell into sleep with the taste of Sookie thick on my tongue, and I was the luckiest man not alive.

_______________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: I just wanted y'all to know that I'm not anywhere near being done, but it may be a little while before I'm able to post Chapter Nine. I'm working on a Round-Robin story with some people from the HBO Boards (posted under Godric's story by SpeculationTrain – I'm chapter 3), and Lorena's been seriously bugging me to tell her side of the story. Before she kidnaps and tortures me, I thought I'd let her get it off her chest. But stayed tuned! Bill's not done yet – I promise!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: The following chapter is my shortest to date because it's not pleasant. At all. And I'm a huge weenie. For real - it's a sad day when my own imaginary friends make me a bit nauseous. Bill avenges CaS (Crimes against Sookie), and then he "parties" with Malcolm and Co. There is disturbing/violent sexual content. Rest assured, no real humans were harmed while writing this chapter, but you won't find lemons or any tip-toeing through fields of tulips. If that's what you're lookin' for, you might want to stop reading now.

Many gracious thanks to my readers and those who are recommending my project to their friends. I'm humbled by the generous support, and I so very much appreciate all the feedback and interest.

The characters I'm playing with (in very sick ways this time, I'm sorry to say) belong to Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball, and I'm very grateful for their kind willingness to share.

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Night Nine

Sookie was a little girl, no more than seven or eight. She ran barefooted, looking over her shoulder as she scurried across the yard towards the cemetery. Her long blond hair was loose, strands of it sticking to her sweaty face. I couldn't see him clearly, but his hands were old, with wrinkled skin and yellowed, dirty nails. His button-down shirt was stained under the arms with sweat, and it flapped open as he ran, a dingy white undershirt visible underneath. He was gaining on her. She gasped and clutched her side with her little hand, and she tripped over the uneven ground, and that's when he reached out, his fingers gripping the skirt of her dress. She continued to run, and the thin fabric ripped. He dropped the torn scrap to the ground as he continued the chase. He caught her arm just as she reached the first of the gravestones. She struggled, but he was much bigger and stronger. She held onto the worn headstone, but he easily pulled her away.

"Shhh," he soothed as he pinned her to the ground with his knees on either side of her body. "Don't fight me, Sookie." He stroked her tear-stained cheeks and ran his fingers down her tiny arms. "I love you. No one loves you like I do. I'll never hurt you."

She whimpered as he pressed into her with his knees, bending down to stroke her legs, and then moving up and under her skirt.

"Tell me you love me," he said, his hand moving across her belly. "Tell me."

"I… I…" she stammered.

"Tell me, or I'll have to punish you. Do you want to be punished?"

She shook her head no and said, "I love you."

"Again," he demanded as he unbuckled his belt.

"I love you," she said.

"Again."

"I love you," she whispered as he took out his hardness and stroked it, Sookie's eyes growing wide as she watched.

"This is all for you, my sweet Sookie," he said. "When you're big enough, it'll all be for you." She nodded again, and he smiled, his fingers harshly probing her little body as he gripped himself. "If I tear you, someone would know. And we don't want that, do we? This is our special secret."

He lifted her dress, and he pulled away her panties. They were pink with tiny red hearts, and he dropped them carelessly to the ground where they lay like a crumpled flower. He leaned over and licked her hairless folds as silent tears streamed down her face.

"You want to kiss it, don't you?" he said, his chapped lips touching her ear. "You want to show me how much you love me." Sookie frantically shook her head. "Sookie," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "That's not how good girls behave. And you're my good little girl. You want to please me. I know you do."

He winked at her, and he forced his hardness to her lips. She pressed her head back into the grass, trying to escape.

"Kiss it," he said, a sharp edge to his voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and kissed his quivering hardness with trembling lips.

***

My dream of Sookie refused to shake itself from my consciousness as I stood at the computer and searched Adele's brother. It was as if her frightened child-face, which I knew from the photos at the house, was burned into the backs of my eyelids. And then it switched to my Sarah's little face with her dark hair and somber eyes, her mouth silently pleading for her Papa to rescue her. And then the same faceless man attacked my sister, Sarah. And then it was Caroline, and then Rebecca, and then the grown Sookie I knew and loved. Even the daughter from my dream, a little girl with blond curls I loved intensely even as I knew she could never be, was violated. Their faces were interchangeable as they flashed through my mind like pictures in a child's flip-book, and I couldn't stop seeing it. I couldn't stop any of it. I was helpless to protect them; I could only make sure it didn't happen again, at least not by this man. It seemed a small consolation, but I felt a strong sense of purpose as I got into the car and drove towards his house on the outskirts of Rustin.

The house was small and half falling down. Fortunately, it sat off by itself, with no close neighbors. The lot was wooded and poorly lit, with a small stream at the back. A quick internet search on my Blackberry told me the creek fed into a bayou not far from here, which is where I could easily dispose of the body. By the time it was discovered, what was left would be so mangled by animals that I needn't bother covering any wounds I inflicted.

As I was looking at the map, my phone vibrated, indicating a call. It was Malcolm, and I let voicemail pick up.

I watched as the back door opened, and an old man wheeled himself carefully down the ramp with a small sack of trash in his lap. I silently got out and closed the car door, and I flashed to the top of the ramp, standing in front of the door.

The stench of mold and decay and sweat and spoiled food was overwhelming, and I stopped breathing as I watched him begin the arduous process of returning to the house. I might've felt pity for another human this miserable, so obviously weak and alone in this world, but for this man, it's wasn't hell enough for what he'd done. When he looked up at me standing there, blocking the door, I saw the fear in his eyes, and I reminded myself to not rush, to not allow him a quick or easy death.

"I… I don't keep cash in the house," he said to me, as if anyone would assume his hovel contained some unannounced treasure-trove.

"Oh, I'm not here for money," I quietly said. I smelled the fresh release of urine as he allowed the chair to slide down the ramp, but I flashed behind him, blocking his escape with my body. "I'm here for Sookie." I hissed, and as my fangs clicked down, I sunk them into his neck.

His blood was the thin, weak blood of the old and dying, so different from Sookie's rich taste that it was hard to imagine they were related. I bit him enough so he knew what I was, but I had no desire to drink his vileness or bring any part of him into myself. I spat a mouthful of his blood onto his lap.

"Are… are…" he trembled. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Not just yet," I said. I picked up his chair and quickly moved to the little stream. In the dark solitude of the back of the property, I dropped him onto the ground before tipping the chair into the water.

"What do you want?" he asked as he clung to the weeds that grew along the bank. He pulled himself along the edge, and I stood and enjoyed his futile struggle.

"For you to suffer."

He let out a quiet sob and renewed his efforts to escape. I slowly walked beside him, looking down at him. "I never meant to hurt her," he said. "You have to believe me. I love her."

I flashed down, my face so close my nose touched his. He yelped and jerked his head back. "I love her, too," I hissed at him. I grabbed his arm to turn him, and in my rage, pulled his arm from the socket. I heard the pop as it detached from his shoulder, and he cried out in pain.

"That hurts, doesn't it?" I whispered in his ear. "Funny thing about shoulders: just a tiny bit of pressure applied just right, and once it's back in place, the pain is but a memory." I twisted the arm, listening as tendons and ligaments tore. He gasped for air as silent tears streamed down his face. "Memories, though," I continued. "Memories of pain can last a lifetime."

"Please…" he pled. "Please. I didn't mean to… I couldn't help it… God made me that way…"

"God made me, too," I said as I ripped the front of his pants open.

"What..." he stuttered. "What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, I palmed his flaccid genitals, stroking them gently, waiting until, in spite of his terror, he reacted to my touch. The blood flooded the soft tissues, and he alternated between whimpering in pain and moaning in pleasure. I waited until he was firm in my hand, pulsing lightly under my skilled touch, and then I tore his penis from his body.

He screamed out, and the blood pumped from the open wound as I held it in my hand, such a small thing, really, when it was no longer connected to anything.

"Kiss it goodbye," I said, holding it to his bluing lips. He shook his head and began mumbling to his God about mercy. "Kiss it!" I demanded, and once he did, I made sure he watched as I threw it into the water.

I moved to do the same with his testicles, and in my haste, I pushed too hard on his pelvic bones. As I ripped off the fleshy sack, I heard the bones crush. Blood immediately began flooding the area. While he was coherent enough to watch, I shredded his testicles, the bloody tissue making an oddly satisfying squishing sound, before throwing them into the stream.

"I'm sorry this isn't going to last longer," I said as I rinsed the blood from my hands in the water. "I was hoping you'd still be alive when I threw you in the water so the last thing you'd experience in this life was the feel of the alligators and the snakes and the fish eating you." He was a bloody, limp heap on the ground, and I roughly picked him up, mindful to keep his blood from my shirt. "But I'm not sure you'll survive the car ride. Maybe I'll be lucky…"

"Please…" he mumbled as I flashed to the car. "Please…" he repeated like a chant as I opened the trunk and put him down on top of an old sheet. "Please…"

"Is that what she said?" I asked, but his eyes were not able to focus. I slapped his face, and he looked up at me. "Did she beg you to stop? Did she? Did you make her beg?" His head slumped back, and I knew he was past the point of feeling anything, so I quietly closed the trunk and drove a few miles down the road.

I'd seen a secluded dock on Google Earth, and as I drove, I listened to his erratic breathing, grateful to the quiet purr of the BMW's engine. As I pulled up to park, he made a strangled, gasping sound, and then his heart thudded to a stop.

"Fuck," I muttered as I opened the trunk and saw his open, dead eyes staring at nothing. Without ceremony, I dumped the mutilated body into the bayou. I stood back to admire the bubbles rising to the surface as it slowly sank. The smell of fresh blood clung to the air, and I heard the quiet heartbeats of two alligators gliding through the water to investigate. I smiled.

And then I felt Sookie, and a wave of panic flooded the bond.

I flashed to the car and drove as quickly as I could to Merlotte's, leaving the headlights off as I gunned the BMW down back-roads towards Bon Temps.

From the parking lot, I saw Malcolm's car, and I heard Sookie's voice: "Please! Leave him alone."

"Stop this!" I said from the doorway. "Now." Liam had been holding Sam by the throat against the bar, but he made a big show of pulling back his hand. The patrons were silent, hearts pounding and breath racing, and the smell of a broken whiskey bottle behind the bar filled the room with fumes. "You're here for me, not them."

"Well," Malcolm said as he moved seductively towards me, his body graceful and almost feline. "We had to get your attention, and I do believe it worked."

I carefully looked at Diane and Liam, who were tactically flanking Malcolm. The three were in obvious strategic attack formation, and I tried to think of a way to get them away from Sookie and away from the bar.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You never call me back," Malcolm pouted. "Now, if I remember what feelings were, mine might be hurt." He smiled at me, showing fang.

Diane flashed to my side and pressed against me. Her cool hands caressed my face and played in my hair. "Join our nest, Bill," she cooed. She glared at Sookie, and I was momentarily distracted and pleased to see she hadn't tried to hide my marks on her neck. They were there for all to see. "Forget these blood-sacks."

"Yeah," Liam added. "Mainstreaming's for pussies."

Diane fingered my chin and gently stroked my lips. "Let's party like we used to," she said as she moved behind me, her hands protectively and affectionately around my shoulders as she pressed her hips into me. "We used to have so much fun…"

Sookie looked both scared and nervous, and I tried to send reassurance through our bond, but I didn't know if it worked like that. I wished I'd had a bonded human before, if only so I knew more of my limitations. I didn't want to use Sookie to experiment, and certainly not in this moment, but I also needed her to understand that I wasn't abandoning her, that I would lead them away to protect her and her human friends.

"Alright," I quietly agreed. Diane and Liam exchanged surprised looks, but Malcolm never looked away from me. I was certain he wasn't convinced. "Let's go."

"What the hell are you doing?" Sookie asked.

"I should be with my own," I said, internally cringing as I spoke the words. Maybe they were the truth, as much as I didn't want them to be. Who was I to torture her relatives, and then expect her trust? How could she ever love a monster? That's what I was – a monster with blood on my hands.

"But you're not like them," Sookie insisted, and I wished I could believe what she said was true. "You're better than they'll ever be."

I shrugged off Diane and stepped towards Sookie. I wanted to touch her, just a hand on her cheek or a squeeze of her warm fingers, but Malcolm moved in between us. "I am not human, Sookie," I said. "I am vampire."

Sookie looked as though I'd punched her, and I felt her deflation and hurt as the air wooshed from her lungs. I nodded to her, silently pleading for her to understand, before following Liam and Diane outside. Malcolm brought up the rear. I headed towards my car, hoping to make a quick call to Sookie's cell phone on the way.

"Bill?" Malcolm said as he suddenly appeared next to me. "What are you doing?"

"Taking my car home," I innocently answered.

He smiled his knowing smile. "Diane, follow behind us and meet us at Bill's." He opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. I stood outside for a long moment, my hand fingering my phone in my pocket, before sliding behind the wheel and heading to my house.

"What's the game, Bill?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

He inhaled deeply. "I love the smell of fresh blood. It's obvious you've just come from killing someone." He clucked his tongue at me. "I'm not sure torture is part of the official mainstreaming effort."

"I didn't torture anyone."

"Oh Bill! What's a little torture among friends?" He laughed. "I can smell it. The sweat. The piss. I do believe," he sampled the air carefully, licking it with his tongue as he inhaled. "You killed an old man," he finally said. "And you scared him to the point of shitting himself." I didn't answer. "Oh Bill! You always seem to forget: I know you. And I know, when you put your mind to it, you can be so very, very good. Quite creative, really, when you want to be."

He reached over and run his thumb over my shoulder. I shrugged him off. He laughed again. "Oh come on, Bill. You were always entirely too serious. Like I care what you did to some old human. I do question your choice of victim." He shuddered. "I detest old people. Oh! The stench. And they always die long before I'm ready for them to. Torturing old people requires suchcontrol! Such a gentle hand; it's really not worth it."

"Let's drop it," I tersely replied.

"Fine," he agreed. "Let's talk about whatever it is you're playing at the moment. I do hope you know better than to fuck with me."

"Malcolm, I'm not playing anything."

"Oh, but you are. We were at Fangtasia a couple nights ago, and we told Eric about our new little nest. He was suspiciously tight-lipped about you. And you're so busy playing house with your little morsel." He smiled at me. "Not that I blame you. She does smell… enchanting." He closed his eyes and licked his lips.

"Leave Sookie out of it," I said. "She's mine."

"Yes, yes," he said. "You've made that quite clear. But why? Why now? You've never had a human. Why this one?" I didn't answer. "And you're obviously coming with us to remove us from her presence. You don't want to be here. Diane's too blind, too desperate, to see that, and for the moment, I'm letting her believe you might actually want her. But let's not confuse my curiosity with anything silly like kindness, shall we?"

I pulled behind my house, Diane and Liam right behind us.

"I have to take care of one thing," I said, opening the trunk and retrieving the ruined sheet. Malcolm leaned against the car and smirked as I quickly threw it in a metal trashcan, splashed some gasoline on top, and tossed in a burning match. With the fire covering the smell of the sheet, I carefully climbed into the trunk, running my nose and fingers over every surface, making sure no trace of the body remained. When Malcolm, Diane, and Liam were distracted, I turned off my cell phone and slipped off my watch, shutting both things into the trunk of the car in case I had to make a quick get-away and go to ground; I would not spend the day with them.

"I'm ready to go," I said as the fire safely burned itself out.

We piled into their car, and Liam drove. Diane wrapped herself around me in the backseat, Malcolm occasionally turning around to watch as she stroked and kissed me.

"Isn't this better, baby?" she whispered as she pulled my hair and kissed me. "Better than a little blond breather?"

"No blood," I said, pulling away as her fangs slide down.

"No blood," she agreed as she kissed me. I kissed back, counting on years of skillful technique to cover my lack of interest or desire.

Liam pulled up to a dumpy little house on the edge of town, the yard overgrown with weeds.

"Home sweet home," Malcolm said, gesturing widely with his arm as we walked up the rotted front steps. "I think this is what humans affectionately refer to as a crack house." He opened the front door, which hadn't been locked.

There was a sofa with the legs sawed off sitting in the middle of the living room, moldy stuffing spilling out onto the floor. Their coffins were in the two tiny bedrooms off the main room. The floor was gritty with dirt and debris, and the smell of mold and rotten wood, along with various body fluids and chemicals, was over-powering. I could hear the cockroaches and mice scurrying in the walls, and Diane lit candles, as I was sure the wiring was beyond repair.

"You plan to live here?" I asked in disbelief.

"You're the one who told me renovation was good for the soul," Malcolm said. "Besides, they were practically giving it away."

"I can see why," I said.

"Don't be such a snob," Diane said.

The three laughed, and I heard the distinctive thump of a human heartbeat coming from one of the bedrooms.

"You have a human here?" I asked.

Malcolm smiled at me and said, still looking at me, "Liam, go retrieve our new pet. Maybe Bill would enjoy playing with it."

I kept my eyes on Malcolm, and within moments, Liam returned with a small male shuffling behind him. I immediately recognized the boy who worked with the coroner, who was at Sookie's house the night of the Descendents of the Glorious Dead meeting.

The boy was naked and gagged with an intricate black leather harness that locked in the back with a tiny gold latch. Liam held the end of a black leather leash, which attached to the harness. His hands were bound at the wrist, his arms no bigger than a child's, and those bonds attached to clips on both his nipples and his testicles. If he moved his arms at all, he would pull on one of the areas.

"Malcolm!" I said. "You can't keep him like that. How long has he been bound?"

The boy glanced up at me with wild, frightened eyes, but Liam yanked on the leash, pulling him further into the room.

"Oh, Bill," Malcolm scolded. "I don't think Mr. I-just-burned-evidence-in-my-backyard gets to cast judgment."

"Glass houses, Bill," Diane laughed as she pulled me to her. She flopped onto the disgusting sofa, and puffs of dust rose around her, and tugged on my arm to follow.

"He's only a boy," I said as Diane wrapped her arms around me and swung her legs into my lap.

"He volunteered," Malcolm said. "I might've been less than forthcoming about some of the minor details of our arrangement…" He waved his hands dismissively. "He can take up any complaints with the management."

The three laughed, and I bit my tongue to avoid saying something rash that might anger Malcolm, the taste of my own blood filling my mouth.

Malcolm smiled, no doubt aware of my discomfort. "I enjoy variety," he continued. "And I enjoy a bit of fun. Spice, if you will. Now that, Bill, is good for the soul." He stepped over to the boy and yanked back his hair. The boy tried to defensively raise his hands, but the restraints prevented him, and a muffled moan sounded from the back of his throat as the clamps bit into his tender flesh. I smelled the fresh blood when the clamps broke through his skin.

Malcolm forced the boy to stand before the sofa, and as he fed from his neck, Diane stroked him. Once he was engorged, she sank her fangs into him, the sound of the boy fighting against the gag making me sick.

"Join us," Diane said, licking the blood from her lips. She kissed me again, and I tasted his blood on her tongue as she gained entrance to my mouth. "Let go, Bill," she said as she licked my ear. "You know you want to. Stop trying so hard to hold back…" Her fangs grazed my earlobe, but she didn't bite down. "You are vampire..."

Malcolm finished feeding, and the three of us sat on the sofa as Liam bound the boy to a meat hook from the ceiling. He had to balance on his tip-toes as Liam savagely thrust into him from behind without preparation. I smelled more blood as Malcolm and Diane watched the scene the way one would a program on television, and I shut my eyes as Diane began stroking me through my slacks, unsuccessfully trying to ignore the muffled sounds from the boy and Liam's roars and grunts. When he was done, the boy was unconscious, and Malcolm dumped him back into one of the coffins, closing the lid.

"You are one of us, Bill," Malcolm said.

"What do you want?" I asked again.

"I want you," Diane said, resting her head on my shoulder. "Not forever. But for a little while. Just a little while. We could have such fun together…"

"I want what makes my Child happy," Malcolm said. "And you bring back so many fond memories of Lorena." He winked at me. "How I miss her…" he sighed. "I owe her, too, looking after her wayward Child who's obviously lost his way. Bringing him back to light... It's the least I can do for such a dear friend."

"I think you're a boring asshole," Liam shrugged. "But whatever."

Silence fell over the little room, and I heard the even breathing of the human from the confines of his coffin. "It's almost dawn," Malcolm said. "Would you like to rest with us today?"

"No thank you," I said. "I think I'll head home."

"You could share my coffin," Diane offered.

"I'll just be on my way."

Malcolm walked me to the door, and I saw I had very little time to get home. "Next time we call, Bill, it would be better for everyone if you answered." I stared at him, and smiled coldly back at me. "I'd hate for there to be... unfortunate incidents in your town ruining your chance of fitting in."

I nodded, and then quickly stepped off the porch and started to run. I wanted to be as far away from them as I could. As I ran, I wondered what Sookie was doing, and if she thought I'd abandoned her. And then I thought of my recourse. I could appeal to the Queen, although if she thought I couldn't protect Sookie, she might take her from me. Or she could tell Sookie that I'd been sent, and Sookie wouldn't understand. Eric might help, but he could easily claim her as his too.

I felt Sookie's unease and worry as the heaviness began settling into my limbs, but there wasn't time to find her. There was just enough time to throw off my clothes and dig into the ground in the cemetery as the sun was beginning to rise, the bluish-gray dawn giving way to the pale yellow of the early-morning sun. My last thought before I slept the sleep of the dead was a silent plea, if there was a God and if he was still my God, for a peaceful day of rest, for a slumber untroubled by things I couldn't change. I knew I didn't deserve to even ask for such mercy, but I desperately needed it.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Thanks for hanging in there with that last Chapter. That's why I'm posting this one so promptly - to purge 9. Please be aware that this one, too, contains some violence (Bill _is_ vampire) and rough (albeit consensual) sex.

I'm grateful to all the people following my story and to those who are kind enough to respond.

Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball, respectfully, created _Dead Until Dark_ and _True Blood_; I'm merely playing with their toys and will promptly return them.

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Night Ten

I awoke to the sound of rain, a steady symphony of thousands of tiny drums beating their own unique rhythms. It wasn't a gradual awakening like when I was human, when my consciousness slowly over-powered my dreams, and I stretched and enjoyed the quiet feeling of being alive before I opened my eyes. One moment, there was nothing because I was dead, and then there was the feel of the wet earth pressing around me.

I felt an immense sadness and sense of loss coming from Sookie, but I was paralyzed by my own disgust. At myself, not only for what I'd done the night before, but for all the lives I took. My mind's capacity for memories was infinite, and as I felt the rain seeping deeper into the ground, I mentally moved through my personal Hall of Horrors.

***

It had been raining the night I first arose vampire. I remember lying in bed with Lorena, my body simultaneously freezing and on fire from within, and then I woke to the pounding of rain above me, buried naked in mud.

"Augh!" I screamed, my skin feeling the wet particles of earth, my throat burning with a pain I'd never felt as a human. My own voice echoed loudly in my ears, and I panicked, swallowing mouthfuls of dirt as I struggled to breathe. I felt Lorena's arms tighten around me, and I realized I was cradled in her arms like a child.

"William," Lorena said, her lips touching my ear. "Don't be afraid. Just push your way out."

I pushed with my feet. Through a red haze of burning desire that I didn't understand, it occurred to me that I shouldn't be able to do this. We were too deep; the wet soil was too heavy. But I brushed it aside as easily as dust on the surface of a table, and before I realized it, I was standing naked in the rain.

Lorena came up from the ground and stood before me, smiling as she gazed at my naked body. She smelled like nothing I'd ever smelled before, something cool and dry and just a little bit sweet. Before I knew what was happening, my fangs slid into place for the first time. They cut into my bottom lip and drew blood. At the scent and taste of my own blood, I was immediately aroused, and I had to have her.

Instinctively, I hissed and lunged. She didn't move to defend herself or stop me, and the force of my blow threw us both to the ground. We sank into the mud as I thrust inside of her. I was so hard it hurt, and I grunted and groaned and panted as I tried to relieve the unbearable pressure. The sensations of the mud, the spattering of rain running down my back, her wet tightness, the sound of the rain, the flashes of lightening lighting up the clouds, the dirt in my mouth: it was so overwhelming I only registered pain.

A tiny nagging in the back of my mind wondered what I was and why I felt this way and asked what I was doing with this woman I didn't know, but I was powerless to stop myself. Lorena wrapped her legs around me, allowing me to penetrate even deeper, and her heels pushed against my bottom as I thrust. Her nails scraped my back, and I roared when I felt her draw blood. Without thinking about it, I sunk my new fangs into her neck and frantically swallowed her blood. She came within seconds, causing my own release, and as her wounds began to heal, the burning inside me was tentatively held at bay.

After I'd come inside her, I rolled off and laid in the mud, the rain coming down on my face. I held my hands before my eyes, and even in the darkness, I could see the red cuticles, and I used stranger's fingers to touch my fangs. They were long and sharp, and I poked my fingertip with one, watching the blood sluggishly ooze out before the wound miraculously closed.

"What am I?" I whispered.

Lorena was sitting up, watching me with undisguised pleasure. The rain washed clean streaks on her flawless skin, her white flesh faintly glowing in the darkness. "You are mine," she said.

"What does that mean?"

"I made you vampire, William, and you will be mine forever."

"Vampire?" I sighed.

She smiled and nodded.

"Vampire? Like in the stories?"

"Some of the stories are true, but some of them aren't," she said. "I'll teach you."

"But you said I could go home."

She laughed. "I never said that. I said you would die if you didn't drink, which was the truth. You would have. But you did drink, and now you are mine."

"I just want to go home," I said.

"Oh William," she said. "I am your home."

Before I could respond, I smelled the sweetest scent I'd ever known, and I heard two delicious wet thumps like a cadence to lead me towards it. I sat up, sniffing the air and locating the aroma. Lorena said nothing, only smiled and watched, but I was barely aware of her. I knew if I could locate that smell, those sounds, the pain in my chest and my throat would be gone. I honed in on it, and I got up and ran, surprised at how quickly I moved. In seconds, I'd found the source: a young black woman attempting to protect a baby from the worst of the storm. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me, appearing suddenly before her naked and muddy.

I ripped out the woman's throat in my eagerness to taste her, and I swooned as her blood pumped, hot and sweet, down my throat. It all happened so quickly the baby didn't react as it watched with wide, liquid brown eyes. Within seconds, the woman was dry, and I licked the last of the blood from her neck before turning to the baby. It cried when I pulled it from its mother's dead arms, but the little cry quickly ended as I sucked the life from it. The child's blood was even sweeter than the woman's, and I cradled its little body to my mouth, my tongue eagerly catching every drop.

It wasn't until I was done and the burn had left my chest that I looked down at the two bodies. Both stared up at me with empty eyes. I squatted down next to them, not believing what I'd just done. My fangs retracted as I touched the baby's dead cheek.

"My God," I shuddered. "What have I done?" I heard Lorena behind me, and she quietly laughed. "What am I?" I demanded, turning to face her.

Thunder clapped loudly, and the night-sky crackled with bolts of light and energy. "You are mine," she repeated.

***

The rain gradually stopped, but I didn't move to come up from the ground. It had been years since I'd taken to the ground during the day, and my discomfort seemed like a pitifully small penance for the previous night. Malcolm was correct – I had tortured Sookie's uncle. I thought of the feel of Sookie's shame, her feelings strong enough to be my own. I remembered Hadley's sad expression, and I wondered if he'd had her as well. Maybe that had precipitated her ending up in the palace feeding room. Last night, punishing him for the harm he'd inflicted on Sookie and countless other little girls seemed like the right thing to do. But I hadn't killed in self-defense. He wasn't a danger to Sookie, and I killed him anyway.

In the war, it was kill or be killed. As a newborn vampire, my instincts overwhelmed me, and I killed on accident. But not since I'd left Lorena had I killed for the pleasure of watching someone die.

The weight of my many lifetimes worth of sins pressed heavier than the wet earth as I vowed that I would not, I could not, ever be that man again. Not for anything.

Footsteps on the earth above shook me from my thoughts. I listened to the hesitant steps, and then to sound of kneeling and quiet tears. I knew it was Sookie, but why was she in the cemetery tonight? This was the old section, where my wife and parents and brother and sister were buried. My own memorial stone was nearby. Why was she here and not over in the newer section by her grandmother's fresh grave?

I listened as her steps retreated back towards her house, and I needed to see her, to be with her. I knew I should wait until she'd passed because I would scare her, coming up from the ground like a zombie in a bad horror film, but I couldn't wait. I pushed my way up, and I reached out to touch her foot as she walked past.

Sookie shrieked when she felt my cool hand on her skin, and she slipped on the wet ground. I gently pulled her leg, trying to get her to turn around so she knew it was me, but I felt her hysteria in the bond. She was on her stomach in the mud when I cleared my head, digging her nails into the earth as she tried to escape my grasp.

"Sookie," I said.

She stopped screaming and turned to face me. She brushed the dirty hair from my eyes, and I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and desire which only ignited my own. She was here. She wanted me. Someone as good as Sookie wanted me.

I kissed her desperately, not bothering to wipe the mud from my skin, and she kissed back, her tongue dancing with mine as she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth. She sobbed as she held onto me, as if she thought at any moment I'd disappear.

I hadn't fed the night before, and I hadn't had her, and her need was so evident, and even though I knew she deserved a soft bed and gentle romance, I threw her leg over my hip and untied the straps of her dress, exposing one glorious breast to the moonlight. I threw her leg over my hip and thrust into her. She was so very tight and so very hot and so very wet already, and she was mine.

My fangs couldn't click into place fast enough, and as I moved to bite her, she spoke for the first time: "Not the neck," she said. I hesitated only briefly before burying them into the brachial artery under her arm. I suckled desperately, losing myself in the heaven that was her blood, crying out in both pleasure and pain as I tore myself away.

She wrapped her legs around me, and she dug her hells into my hips as I thrust even deeper inside her, and it was my first night in the mud and the rain all over again. I was reborn, this time with Sookie, who smelled of the sun and faintly of flowers, and all that was innocent and pure could be mine if only I could love her and love her and love her and love her and maybe, just maybe, if I were good enough and loved her enough, maybe she could love me in return.

I waited until I felt her internal muscles begin to clench around me, and then I let myself go, feeding on her arm as I came.

The wind blew random drops of rain onto my back as I licked the puncture marks in her arm closed. Then I pierced my tongue with my fangs and licked the bite marks on her neck, bathing them in my blood until the healed.

She lay shuddering on the ground, and I cradled her in my arms, picked up my wet clothes and shoes from the night before, and sped back to the house and up the stairs. I dropped my wet things into a corner of the bathroom and ran the shower, the steam quickly wafting out from between the curtain. I set her down inside and climbed in behind her, carefully washing away all the dirt and mud and blood. She softly moaned as I massaged the shampoo into her hair, and as soon as she was clean and rinsed, I picked her up, wrapped her legs around my waist, and lowered her onto my erection.

We both gasped as I filled her, and she arched her head back, sending the shower spray everywhere. I was determined to be more gentle this time, but she stuck her thumb in my mouth, and I bit down on it gently. She cried out as my fang entered her flesh, and I suckled the small wound as I thrust harder. She grabbed onto the shower curtain, pulling it down in her haste, but I didn't stop to turn off the water. I supported her back as once again she arched away from me, and I pounded into her as I felt her second orgasm beginning.

The water still running, I flashed to the floor, and brought her up on her hands and knees as I continued to pleasure us both. Her bottom was perfectly shaped, the flesh turning pink as my thighs slapped against it. I circled her clit with my thumb, pinching it as I bit into the soft spot between her shoulders. She came immediately as I sucked, her release milking my own, and we both collapsed onto a pile on the floor.

Not ready to be finished, I turned off the water and quickly toweled us both. Sookie alternated between going limp in my arms and rubbing up against me. Her hot hand tentatively rested on my chest as I toweled her hair, slowly stroking downwards.

"Yes, Sookie," I whispered, covering her hand with mine and moving her lower. "Touch me." She grasped me with one hand, using the other to softly cup my testicles. I scooped her up once again, and we tumbled to the bed in a heap of tangled limbs.

My fingers stroked into her wetness, and I nibbled and licked her breasts, careful to keep my fangs from nicking her, before working my way down her belly, my tongue leaving goosebumps as I licked.

"Bill," she panted.

I reached inside as far as I could with two fingers, sucking and swirling her swollen clit with my tongue. She writhed on the bed, pulling at the sheets and bucking her hips into my hand. I added a third finger, searching for her secret soft spot. When I found it, gently stroking it with my fingers, she screamed out and came, her muscles tightly contracting around my hand. As she lay there shuddering, I carefully licked all her fluids from her sensitive flesh, gently blowing my cool breath to make her shiver and moan.

Once again, I carefully matched my breathing to hers, and I laid my head on her chest, listening to the wild thumping of her heart slowly calm back to normal. She shifted slightly and cleared her throat.

"What's wrong?" I asked, lifting my head and looking at her. She blushed, the bouquet of her scent flooding to the surface of her sweaty face. "Did I hurt you?"

"Oh no," she quickly said. "So far from hurting…"

"What is it?" I gently prodded.

"Um… Could I have a few minutes in private?"

"Are you alright?"

"This is so embarrassing," she sighed, looking away. "Can you please go downstairs so I can have a… a human… moment."

"Of course," I said as I realized what she was asking. I quickly stood and offered her my hand to help her to her feet. "I'll go get you a snack. Please, make yourself comfortable."

She smiled. "Thank you."

I left at human speed, walking down the stairs and towards the kitchen. I smiled and shook my head at her sense of modesty. I could still hear her using the restroom from downstairs, and why she thought I wouldn't be able to, or that I would be uncomfortable or she would be shy after everything else we'd shared was puzzling and endearing. I found it oddly pleasant to know that Sookie was just as baffling as the women I knew when I was human. I whistled, something I hadn't done in decades, as I gathered up various things for her to eat and drink. I waited until I heard her go back into the bedroom before returning.

She laughed when I walked in. "Why do you walk around naked?" she asked. She'd put on one of my ling-sleeved Henleys, leaving the three buttons undone. It was pale blue and looked beautiful on her.

I shrugged. "It's my house. You don't like the view?" I teased, slowly turning in a circle.

She laughed. "It's quite lovely, now that you mention it." I opened one of the bottles of water and handed it to her, along with two vitamins. She steadily swallowed until it was empty, and I handed her one of the little organic milks she liked so much. "You need a refrigerator," she said. "This is good." She took a deep pull on the straw. "But I bet it's even better really cold."

I nodded. "Maybe you can help me pick one out."

She blushed and nodded. I crawled into bed, settling my head into her lap. I rested the bowl of almonds and dried cherries on my chest and fed her the pieces one at a time. She giggled as she ate, nipping and licking my fingers in between chewing. When that was gone, I opened two small squares of dark chocolate and fed her bites, listening to the pleasant sound of her chewing and the gurgling of her stomach digesting. She sighed with contentment and drank the second bottle of water.

"Why were you in the cemetery?" I finally asked when she was finished.

"You don't know?" she quietly said.

"Know what? I was in the ground, and then you were there…" She blushed as I smiled up at her. "I have been otherwise engaged since then."

"Oh Bill," she said, and she gently stroked my hair, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It was awful..."

"What was?" She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Please tell me," I gently prodded.

"I thought…" Her voice cracked, and a single tear escaped her closed eyes. She swallowed several times before continuing. "I thought you were dead."

"I am dead," I said.

She shook her head again. "No. Dead dead."

"Why would you think that?" She didn't answer, and I sat up and faced her. I took her hands in my mine. "Look at me, Sookie. Please." She opened her eyes. "What happened?"

"They burned the house."

"What house?"

"The house Malcolm and Diane and… I don't even know what his name was…"

"Liam," I added.

She nodded. "Liam. Their house in Bon Temps. Some guys from the bar burned it this morning. Didn't you get my messages?"

"My phone is in the car," I said. I pulled away and looked at her. "Their house burned?" I couldn't believe it.

Sookie nodded. "Yes. And they died. All three of them. There was a fourth coffin, a fourth body. I thought it was you…"

"It was a boy," I quietly said, thinking of the coroner's assistent locked into the extra coffin. "A human boy they had with them." Sookie didn't respond, but looked at me with wide eyes. "They're finally dead?" She nodded. "How do you know?"

"I heard the rednecks plotting at Merlotte's. And I called you, but you weren't answering."

"I left my phone in the car," I repeated.

"So when I got off work, I came here."

"Sweetheart," I said, crushing her to me as tightly as I dared without hurting her. "Why on earth would you do that if you knew vampires were being attacked. What if they had come here next?"

"That's what I was afraid of," Sookie said. "I didn't know where you were, but I thought, if they did come, I could either stop them or save you or… I don't know. I would've done something."

"Sookie," I said, not understanding how one human girl could be so incredibly brave and incredibly stupid at the same time.

"And then I heard the sirens," she continued. "So I went towards them, and I saw the four coffins, and I thought…" She sobbed then, her body shaking against me as she wept. "I thought you'd died too," she finally said.

I didn't speak, just held her while she cried. After a few minutes she stopped, and once again I listened while her breathing returned to normal.

"Sookie," I said. "You have to promise me you'll never do that again."

She pulled away from my embrace and glared at me. "What would you have me do?" she demanded.

"You can't put yourself at risk like that," I gently stated. "I can take care of myself."

"Not always," she said. "I've known you less than two weeks, and already I saved you from the Rats, who would've drained you and left you to die. I saved you from getting infected by that terrible Jerry-person…" Her voice trailed off. "Do I want to know what happened to him?" she quietly asked. I shook my head no, and she shuddered. "And, if they had come here after they burned the other house, I would've thought of something. I would've done something."

"Sookie, listen," I pled.

"You listen," she interrupted, her face determined. "That's what you do for the people you care about. You look out for them. You would've done the same for me." I nodded, knowing I would risk anything for her. "Why is it okay for you to save me, but not for me to save you?"

"Sookie," I began, uncertain of how to explain myself. "I've been alone for a long time…"

"How long?" she quietly asked.

"Over seventy years," I said. She solemnly nodded. "It's difficult for me to rely on someone else."

She laid back and pulled me down next to her. I put my arm around her, and she snuggled into my chest. "It's new for me, too," she said. "We'll just have to figure it out as we go along."

I smiled. "I would like that."

She kissed my nipple and whispered, "good."

We didn't talk anymore, and I listened as her breathing grew steady and her limbs went limp around me. I knew I needed to call Eric and tell him about the fire. I was certain he already knew about it, and our bond, however small, would be enough that he would know I was fine, but I could fill in some of the details. I should tidy the bathroom. I used the rain as an excuse to not head over the burned nest, knowing that any scents would've been washed away by now. Sookie could tell me who was responsible anyway, if I asked her. I wasn't convinced I wanted to know.

Part of me felt a deep loss, not for Liam, who was only a few years old. I didn't know his last name or who his Maker was or how he'd ended up with Malcolm and Diane. I'd only interacted with him a handful of times, and I'd found him dull. But Malcolm and Diane, for all our disagreements, were my friends. They brought the tragedy upon themselves, as I tried to warn them would happen, but that didn't make it less shocking. I'd known Malcolm my whole vampire life, and I knew how much Lorena cared for him. Loved him, even. And now they were gone.

Beyond mourning their deaths, I easily could've been in that house. That mob could've come here next. Sookie could've been hurt. The house my father built, the house I was trying to reclaim as my home, could've been destroyed. What if humans everywhere rose up against us. Despite the brilliant campaign of misinformation the AVL was spreading, our weakness would become known. We could all be hunted down, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Maybe the religious fanatics were right - maybe we didn't belong here. Maybe we did need to be destroyed.

I sighed and held Sookie tighter and renewed my vow to not kill anyone else except in self-defense or in defense of Sookie. I would live a good life. I would bury my past, and I would earn this second chance, this miracle who slept so trustingly in my arms. I could find my way back. I could atone. I could be forgiven.

I stayed with her as long as I dared before easing out from under her, carefully covering her with the blanket. She sighed, her hand ghosting across the sheets where my body had been and frowned slightly in her sleep. I silently dressed. I left the unopened water on the nightstand, but removed all the empties and the trash. I quickly mopped up the water on the bathroom floor with a couple of towels and threw them into the hamper with my wet clothes from the cemetery. Then I flashed to my car, put my watch back on and pocketed my phone. There were eight missed calls, but I didn't have time to listen to them now. I locked the front door behind me and settled in for the day. I smiled in the dark, listening to Sookie's gentle breathing and beating heart above me as the dawn approached.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I don't own the rights to either SVM or True Blood. This is just my interpretation of the events. Please feel free to disagree.

Thanks to everyone who's been so patient for this Chapter.

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Night Eleven

"Oh my gosh!" Sookie's voicemail exclaimed. I could hear the teasing in her tone over the sound of wind rushing through the open windows. "If I'm sleeping over, you need to get an alarm clock! I'm on my way to work right now, and I'm late. Sam's going to kill me." I couldn't help but smile; Sam would know exactly where she'd been and why she was late, and I loved it. Although I did need to think of a way of speaking with her about driving while talking on the phone while not offending her sense of independence; it just wasn't safe.

There were other messages on my phone that I quickly deleted – three from Sookie the night of the fire and two from Eric demanding that I call him immediately. I knew I needed to speak with him, both to let him know I was alright and to tell him what I knew of the fire, but something in me just didn't want to.

I ran to Merlotte's and walked in. It was mostly empty, the dinner crowd having left and the evening crowd not yet arrived. Sookie was wiping tables and refilling the condiments, and her face lit up in one of her real smiles when she saw me.

"Hey," she said, walking over to me. "What are you doing here?"

I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I need to speak with Sam, and I thought I could escort you home."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm perfectly capable of driving myself home."

"Yes," I agreed. "But then I'd have to wait longer to see you." I smiled at her, and she blushed before bumping her hip into mine.

"Want a TruBlood? Sam's in his office."

"Thank you."

She took my hand and walked to the bar. "Tara, an O Negative, please."

Tara narrowed her eyes at me and sighed, but she went to warm my drink. She put it on the bar with a napkin without saying a word. I felt Sookie's frustration, and she was about to speak, but I gently squeezed her hand. When she looked at me, I shook my head no.

"Thank you, Tara," I said. She tersely nodded and went back to wiping glasses. "Just give me a minute," I said to Sookie.

"I have a couple things to finish up anyway," she said. "And then we can go."

I took my TruBlood, sipping on it as I walked to Sam's office. The door was open, and he sat hunched over the desk, entering figures into the computer. I politely knocked on the door and remained standing in the hallway.

"Good evening, Sam."

Sam immediately sat upright and growled. "What do you want?"

"It is entirely my fault that Sookie was late today, and I apologize for her tardiness. I'll be purchasing an alarm clock so it won't happen again."

"Did you just come here to gloat?" he snapped.

"No," I pleasantly replied. "Actually, I wanted to let you know that from now on, I'll be escorting Sookie home from work when she gets off after dark, if you could find a subtle way of insuring she remains here until I arrive. Given the situation, I think it'd be safer."

"She didn't need protecting until you showed up," he said.

"I was simply making you aware of my intentions, and if you would prefer, I will wait for her out in the parking lot from now on. But I will be waiting."

"I would prefer you to go back to where ever the hell you were before."

"No doubt," I said. "But since that is not an option, I will assume you'd prefer me to wait outside." I smiled and took a sip of the blood.

"I'm going to happily dump out every bottle of O Negative in stock."

"You needn't bother," I said. "Surely you realize I don't visit your establish for TruBlood?"

"Fuck you, Bill Compton."

"Sam!" Sookie scolded as she walked past me into the office.

"Sookie…" he started.

"That was just plain rude," she said as she took off her apron and folded it before placing it on the shelf in the corner. She slung her purse over her arm and stood before Sam, her hands on her hips.

"But biting is perfectly polite?" Sookie opened and closed her mouth several times without saying anything. I felt her anger and her hurt, and Sam looked like he'd happily crawl into the floor and die. "Sookie," he quietly said. "I didn't mean…"

"You should apologize to Bill, not to me," she said. She glared at him and turned and stormed out of the office.

"I'm sure as shit not apologizing to you, asshole," he muttered under his breath.

"And a pleasant evening to you too, Sam." I bowed slightly, put the half-full bottle of TruBlood on the corner of his desk, knowing it'd stink up his office, and then I walked quickly after Sookie, who was already outside.

I smiled and pulled her to me. I didn't care that she smelled of the bar as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her. My tongue teased her lips and danced with hers, and she giggled and shivered.

"What?" I asked as she pulled away.

She smiled at me and fished her car keys from her purse. "Your tongue is cold. It's weird. I'm not complaining," she quickly added. "I'm just not used to it, is all."

"Maybe I should kiss you more often?" I suggested. "Just until you're acclimated, of course?"

"Maybe," she teased. I gently took the keys from her hand and opened the passenger door. "Are you driving?" she asked.

"My night-vision is better than yours."

"You know, I've been driving myself for nearly ten years now…" she said as I turned the key in the ignition and tried not to show my impatience for her tiny car and it's even tinier engine, but I knew she'd never allow me to buy her a new vehicle.

"I've been driving for over a hundred," I countered. "And while it does not contribute to my behind-the-wheel experience, I once met Henry Ford at a dinner party."

She laughed. "You're making that up."

"No," I said. "It was in Chicago in 1928. He was really quite fascinating."

"Of course he was," she giggled. Suddenly, she stopped laughing. She looked at me for several long moments. "Wait a minute," she said, shaking her head. "You're serious?"

"Why would I lie about that?" I pulled up next to her house and turned off the car. She didn't move to exit, so I got out and walked at human speed to open her door. "You should really lock your doors, especially if you're alone," I say as I held it for her and offered my hand. She took it, looking at me with wide eyes as she stood. "Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded. "I just don't know what I could offer you… You've had dinner with Henry Ford… This, me." She waved her hand, gesturing around her house. "It must all seem so stupid and boring…"

"Sookie," I said. "You are so much more interesting than anyone I've ever known. I would rather be here, in Bon Temps, with you, than anywhere else in the world." I pulled her to me and gently kissed her.

She smiled and shook her head. "Come on," she said, pulling on my arm. She bounced up the steps, and I held the door as she unlocked it. She slipped off her shoes and hung up her keys and her purse. "Oh!" she said, rummaging around in one of the drawers near the back door. There was a basket full of keys, so many keys that I wondered if all of them still opened existing locks. "Here. In case you ever need it." She handed me the brass key to the house.

"Thank you for your trust," I said, holding her hand with the key still clutched in it over my unbeating heart.

While she flipped on lights as we made our way upstairs, I sniffed unobtrusively and listened carefully for intruders, but the house was empty. She led me shyly to her bedroom, opening the door and allowing me to enter first.

"Why don't you just make yourself at home," she said as she opened a drawer as little as possible and pulled out something that looked soft and pink. "I'm just going to wash off the stink of the bar and be right back."

I slipped off my shoes and socks and sat tentatively down on the bed. Before I could stop myself, I leaned over and buried my nose in her pillow. I rubbed my face against it, and then I turned and rubbed the back of my head on it, hoping to transfer her scent to me.

I heard the shower turn off, and I immediately stood up. I hunched over to examine her dollhouse, imagining Sookie as a little girl in this room, and she leaned in the doorway, watching me, dressed in a little pink gown.

"Gran never threw anything away," she explained. "And I just didn't bother moving it. I keep thinking I should put it in Jason's old room, but…" She shrugged her shoulders. I held open my arms, and she came to me. I rubbed my nose along her bare shoulder and her neck, my tongue flicking her ear.

"You smell good enough to eat," I whispered, walking backwards towards the bed and pulling her along with me. "And I do believe you're overdressed, Miss Stackhouse…" I pulled the thin strap away and licked and kissed her shoulder.

"Wait," she said breathlessly. "No." She shook her head. "I don't want to do… that…"

"That?"

"Well," she blushed. "I do want to do… that… But it's just…" She turned even redder and looked away.

"Sookie," I said, gently putting my thumb under her chin so she had to look at me. "You don't ever need to be embarrassed with me."

"I've been distracted," she began, talking too quickly. "The times before, but I want to see you… All of you…"

I held open my arms. "I'm all yours."

"Take off your clothes?" she whispered.

I smiled at her and slowly pulled my shirt over my head. She sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as I hooked my thumbs over my belt buckle, turning around slowly while I unzipped my pants, knowing she could hear but not see.

I heard her heart beating wildly, and her breath caught in her throat when I unbuttoned my slacks and noisily undid the belt. I slowly let the pants fall to the floor, and I stepped out of them, my back still to her.

"I think I see the appeal of not wearing underwear," she said. "Lay down on your stomach?" I did as she asked, and I watched as she knelt next to me on the bed, ghosting her fingers along my shoulder blades. She moved to my arms next, her touch soft and gentle. "Why do you usually wear long sleeves?" she asked. "Your arms are beautiful."

I shrugged. "I don't get hot like humans do, and while silver would weaken me through fabric, it doesn't have the same effect as it does on bare skin." She nodded. "Plus, my skin is too pale and too cold; if it's covered up, I'm more likely to pass as human."

"You're beautiful," she repeated. "What's this?" Her fingers lingered on a scar that crossed my left bicep. "I thought when you were turned, everything healed?"

"That was a scar before. From when I was still human," I explained. "The fresh injuries healed, but the scars will be with me forever."

"What from?"

"A bullet grazed me in my first battle," I said. "Battle of Bisland."

"When was that?"

"March 1863."

Sookie smiled and shook her head. "You're living history, right here, naked in my bed."

"Technically, I'm not living," I corrected.

She playfully swatted my bottom. "You're in no position to argue with me at the moment," she teased.

"Yes ma'am," I said, smiling as she gently touched my palms and my fingers, bringing my blood-tinged nails closer for inspection.

Moving slowly down my back, she stroked my cheeks and thighs, moving further down to my calves. "And this one?" she asked, her fingers moving along the rough scar on my lower right leg.

"That is far less dramatic a story," I said. "I was fighting with my brother."

"Who won?"

"Well, I bloodied his nose, and he pushed me into a rock," I smiled at the memory of Robert. "And then Rebecca got a hold of us, so I'm fairly certain we both lost."

"You've mentioned Rebecca before," she quietly said. "Who was she?"

"She worked for my father," I evasively answered. Rebecca had confounded me as a human, and time had not simplified my feelings for her.

"Like a nanny?"

"Sort-of."

Sookie nodded. "Was your brother a solider too?"

"He died not long after that fight," I said. "Measles."

"How old was he?"

"I was eleven, so he was twelve. My father never really got over it. He had a stroke and died when I was away."

"Just you and your brother?" Sookie asked.

I shook my head. "My mother lost a couple of babies after me, and then my sister Sarah was born when I was five. She married a man from Monroe."

"Did he fight with you?"

"He died that first winter in camp of influenza. A lot of men died before we ever reached the battlefield. After that, she moved back here with my parents and my wife. She never remarried, and she died rather young."

I heard Sookie sniffle. "That's so sad."

I shrugged. "It was a long time ago, and life was different then."

She quietly stroked my legs, moving down to touch my feet. "I've never known someone to have beautiful feet, but you do."

"I've never really noticed."

"Your hands are gorgeous, too. Such long fingers and toes…"

I smiled. "You know what they say about men with long fingers?" I teased.

She giggled. "No, what do they say?"

"It's nearly impossible to find a pair of proper-fitting gloves." She playfully swatted me again. "My mother said I had piano-fingers," I seriously added.

"Do you play?" she asked. I nodded. "Will you play for me sometime?"

"I'd like that…"

"And I think I'd like you to turn over." I happily complied, crossing my arms behind my head and watching as she took it the whole length of me, and I saw the blood rush to her cheeks again.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"You'll laugh," she said.

"What?" I glanced down to see what she found funny, but I looked as I always look naked.

"I don't really have… experience… But you'd be surprised how often people think about bits."

"Bits?"

"Body parts," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "Yours looks different…"

"I'm not circumcised," I said. Sookie ran her fingernails up my inner thighs and cupped my sack gently in her hand.

"Oh," she said, nodding, before squeezing me lightly. Her hot fingers stroked my length, I leaned back my head and closed my eyes. "I like it," she finally said.

"Me too," I sighed.

And I heard her take a deep breath, and then the mattress shifted as she moved, and her hot, wet mouth was around me.

"Sookie."

She swirled her tongue around me, and I felt when I hit the back of her throat. She relaxed to take all of me, and I nearly came when she scraped lightly with her teeth. I wrapped her hair around my hand, both to keep it from blocking my view as I watched, but also to help guide her movements. I thrust into her as she sucked, and then pulled out, only to have her swirl the tip with her hot tongue before she took me back.

She looked up at me, and that alone through me over the edge.

"Sookie," I warned, pulling gently on her hair. But she only sucked harder, and when I came, she swallowed every drop. As I lay shuddering, she snuggled into my side, her head resting on my shoulder. She licked her lips like a kitten with cream and sighed with contentment.

"I've never done that before," she confessed. I kissed the top of her head. "Doesn't it get old for you?" she finally asked. "I mean, you've been doing it for over a hundred years. Doesn't it get predictable?"

"Not with you it doesn't," I assured her. "You're entirely different." I struggled for the words that could convey my feelings, but failed. "And the beauty and the tragedy of it is that you don't know just how different you are."

"Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong."

"There's nothing more natural than the act of making love," I said. "Who am I to try and change what comes naturally to you?"  
"But if you could change something?"  
I shifted my shoulder and made her look at me. "I wouldn't change a thing." She smiled at me and nestled back into my shoulder. I kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, enjoying the feel of her breathing.

"What's it like to sleep in the ground?"

"Well, it's not exactly comfortable," I said with a smile. "But it is safe, which, if I recall, is what your three voicemails required of me that night."

The doorbell rang, and we both sat up in bed.

"Crap," Sookie said with a smile. "Arlene. Forgot – I told her I'd babysit the kids."

The doorbell rang again.

"Should I go?" I asked.

"No, stay. It'll be good for her. Put some pants on, though," Sookie smiled and kissed me lightly before hopping out of bed.

I smiled after her, internally groaning at having our night interrupted. I quickly pulled on my pants and shirt and raced down the backstairs.

"Sookie, what's wrong? What took you so long?" Arlene said in doorway.

"I was out back," Sookie stumbled. "In the yard…"

"In your nightie?" the boy asked.

"Cat got out," I added. Everyone jumped. "Made friends with a squirrel."

"Mommy! Look! It's a vampire!" The little girl made to move closer, and Arlene grabbed both children, who looked up at me with wide, excited eyes.

"Sookie, you didn't mention you had company," she accused.

"I didn't think I had to," Sookie said, her voice forced into cheerfulness. There was an awkward moment where they both smiled at each other too pleasantly, both ready to fight.

"I've got a right to know who's lookin' after my children," Arlene insisted.

"Well, here we are," Sookie said as she put her arm around mine. "Is there a problem?"

I smiled at the kids, hoping they wouldn't think too much of the fuss. The least their mother could do was to have this sort of conversation in private and not undermine Sookie's authority.

"Oh, take it easy, cha," Rene said. "Mr. Compton raised a couple of them little ones himself, if I remember. Yeah?"

"That's quite right," I said, winking at the kids.

"Put these on you, hear?" Arlene finally said as she slipped silver bracelets onto the kids' arms. Sookie looked at her feet, embarrassed, and I gently reassured her with a squeeze. "And stay close to your Aunt Sookie."

"They'll be fine," Sookie said. "I promise. Who wants pizza?"

"Me. I do!" the kids said.

"Good," Sookie said, holding out her arms for the kids. "'Cause that's what we're having."

"You gonna eat pizza?" Rene asked me.

"Unfortunately, no," I said. "But I understand it's delicious."

We all stood awkwardly staring at each other for a few moments before Rene hurried Arlene out the door.

"Come on, y'all," Sookie said as she herded the children towards the kitchen. "Let's see what I have to tide you over…" She poured salsa into a couple of small dishes and opened a bag of chips. "Bill, I'm going to run upstairs and change. Will you be alright?"

"We'll be fine," I said.

"You're sure?" she whispered in my ear. "I can take them up with me."

"Go," I said, pushing her towards the stairs. "We're fine." The children were seated at the table, the boy mindlessly popping chips into his mouth and chewing open-mouthed as he stared at me. The girl simply stared. "Bill Compton," I said, extending my hand to the boy first. He looked down at it, and then tentatively touched my fingers. "That's not how a gentleman shakes hands," I said. "Here, put your hand like that," I used my other hand to show him, and then gripped his small hand in a practiced, firm, human handshake. "Harder. A little harder." He squeezed. "Just like that," I smiled. "Bill Compton," I repeated, shaking his hand.

"Colby Fowler," he said. "Your hand feels weird. It's all… cold…"

"You can let go now," I said.

"How hard can you squeeze?" he asked, still not releasing my hand.

"Hard enough to crush your bones," I said.

His eyes grew wide. "For real?" I nodded solemnly. "Can I see how hard I can squeeze you?" I smiled and nodded. He stood up and used both hands, his face turning red with the effort. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," I confirmed.

"That's so cool…" he breathed.

"Miss Fowler," I said to the girl, bowing as I took her hand and kissed it gently. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She giggled. "Your hand is cold. And I'm Lisa."

"Lisa and Colby," I repeated. "Would it be alright with you if we didn't eat pizza this evening?"

"That's fine," Lisa quickly said. "We ate at home anyway."

"I'm still hungry," Colby protested. "Why don't you like pizza?"

"I'm allergic to garlic," I whispered, as if telling them a secret.

"There's garlic in pizza?" he asked.

"In the sauce, silly," Lisa answered.

"You're a very smart young lady," I said. "So what else could we have?"

"How 'bout icecream sundaes?" Colby quickly offered. "Those are good."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "You think everything is good."

"Let's see what Aunt Sookie has in her freezer," I said as I heard Sookie's steps on the stairs.

"What about Aunt Sookie's freezer?"

"Mr. Vampire Bill doesn't like pizza," Colby said. "So he said we could have sundaes instead."

"Sundaes and chips aren't much of a dinner," Sookie said. "I can make y'all sandwiches. You don't like pizza?" she whispered to me.

"We already ate dinner at home, Aunt Sookie," Lisa said. "And Mr. Vampire Bill said it's the garlic in the sauce."

"Just Bill is fine," I said, winking at her.

"I didn't even think about the garlic," Sookie apologized. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be silly."

"And you know, I think I do have some icecream in here," Sookie smiled at the kids and opened the freezer, which did contain a half gallon of vanilla icecream. She rummaged in the cupboards and brought out sprinkles and chopped peanuts and a jar of fudge that she warmed in the microwave.

"Bill, will you please see if there are any cherries or whipped cream in the fridge?"

I flashed to the fridge, which made the children gasp and giggle. "Whipped cream!" I said, opening the plastic container. The stuff smelled foully of chemicals, not even remotely like cream, but they all seemed to enjoy it.

"Yeah!" Colby said.

"Me too!" Lisa quickly chimed in.

"I hope you can finish this before your mother comes back," I said.

"No problem," Colby said. "I ate a whole jar of mayonnaise once."

Sookie wrinkled up her nose in disgust and Lisa shuddered. "I had to watch."

"Bill," Colby said. "How come you can't have icecream?"

"Well," I said. "You might say I'm lactose intolerant."

"Just like my Aunt Fern," Colby knowingly nodded. "'Cept she don't tolerate Mexicans."

I sat down and exchanged a look with Sookie, who arched her eyebrows and choked on a mouthful of icecream.

"Aunt Sookie," Lisa asked. "Is Bill your boyfriend?"

"Bill?" Sookie said in a teasing voice, turning to me. "Would you say that you're my boyfriend?"

"Well, I suppose I'd have to ask permission from Colby and Lisa. Would it be alright with you if I were Aunt Sookie's boyfriend?"

"Do you buy her flowers?" Lisa asked.

If I could've blushed, I would've under the child's level stare. "Um," I stammered, not wanting to explain to anyone, especially not a child, that I hadn't courted a woman in over a hundred years. "Why no, I haven't yet."

"You better," she insisted. "Rene buys flowers for Mama all the time."

"Well, then I will have to mend my ways."

"You do that, then we'll talk," she smiled up at me. I smiled and winked at her.

"Can we see your fangs?" Colby suddenly asked.

"I don't think that's going to be possible," Sookie quickly interjected.

"Why certainly," I said. I snatched two of the tortilla chips from the sack and dipped the tips in the red salsa too quickly for anyone to see me, and then I hid my mouth behind my hand. I clicked my fangs into place and carefully skewered each one with a chip. I looked up and growled, the chip fangs making everyone, even Sookie, laugh. "AUGH!" I said, holding my hands up like claws. "GRRRRR!"

They were still laughing when I pulled the chips from my fangs and quickly retracted them.

"Why don't y'all go and play a game or something while I clean up," Sookie suggested. "Lisa, show Bill where the games are. And then we can watch a movie."

"Can we have popcorn?" Colby asked.

"Sure," Sookie said. "But I'm not sure where you're going to put it with all those chips and all that icecream."

Colby giggled and scampered off the living room, Lisa not far behind him.

"Want me to help?" I murmured into Sookie's ear as I came up behind her. Her hands were full of dishes, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing my hardness gently into her back.

"Bill!" Sookie scolded. "That's not helpful."

"Oh, I think it could be extremely helpful…" I moved my hands up to tease her nipples through her blouse, and I nibbled on her earlobe.

She wiggled her bottom to distract me, which had the opposite effect, and then she giggled. "Go take care of the kids, and I promise you I'll take care of you later."

"You already did that once today," I whispered. Blood flushed her cheeks and she looked away. I gently pulled her chin so she was looking at me. "You were magnificent," I said.

She set down the dishes and swatted me. "Shoo."

"Shoo?"

"Yes. Shoo."

"Bill!" Lisa called from the front room. I flashed to her side, suddenly appearing, which made her jump and laugh. "I wish I could do that!" she giggled. "Do you want cards or checkers?"

"Either one," I said. "But I do know a couple of card tricks. Would you like to see?"

"Really?" she said, beaming up at me. "Let's do that then. Colby cheats anyway."

"Colby, you cheat?" I asked as I sat on the sofa, shuffling the worn deck of cards in front of me as fast as I could, which made the children stare in wonder. He looked up from the whirring cards and grinned impishly. "What's the point of playing if you don't play fair?"

"Then I win," he said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe I didn't know that. "Rene said that as long as I don't get caught at it, cheating don't matter."

I thought of my own son, still a suckling baby when I left for war. My father was a firm, distant man, and Caroline hadn't remarried. Thomas grew up without a man to show him how to shake hands or to tell him that there was such a thing as honor.

"There are things far more important than winning," I told Colby. "Your honor. Your integrity. No matter what else happens in this life, you have the power over your own choices. You choose to be the man you are, and a gentleman would never cheat. Not even if he knew he wouldn't be caught." Colby nodded solemnly and seemed to be stewing on what I'd said, so I flourished the shuffled deck in front of Lisa. "Pick a card, any card, and show it to Colby, but don't show it to me."

Vampire speed made me a natural at card tricks, and I studied several talented street magicians, my supernatural vision the only thing that made me aware of their secrets. I used to entertain humans with my antics while Lorena chose who she wanted for that night.

The children were laughing and demanding that I tell them how I made the cards appear from behind their ears or in their pockets when Sookie came in, carrying a tray with bowls of popcorn and a plate with a sandwich and apple slices.

"What on earth are y'all doing, making so much noise?"

"Aunt Sookie!" Lisa exclaimed. "Bill knows magic!"

"Good magic, too!" Colby added.

I shrugged my shoulders and put the cards away. "Just a trick or two I've picked up," I said.

"A man of many talents," she smiled at me. "Okay, so what movie do you want?"

"A vampire movie!" Colby said.

Sookie furrowed her brow. "Um, I think Disney has that one coming out at Christmas, but I don't have one suitable for y'all…"

"We're brave," Lisa insisted. "We can watch something scary."

"Oh no," Sookie laughed. "I know you two, and I know your mama. No scary movies, or she won't let y'all come over to see me."

"Sure she would," Colby said. "If she wanted to go out and needed someone to watch us."

I cleared my throat as Sookie stared at him for a moment. "How about _Finding Nemo_?" she said.

The children agreed, and Sookie put in the movie. I sat back on the sofa, and before Sookie had it ready, both children had settled in next to me, one on each side. Sookie smiled as she handed them each a bowl of popcorn and a cup of water.

"Would you like something?" she asked me.

"No, thank you. I'll wait."

"Do you drink blood, Bill?" Colby asked, his mouth full of popcorn.

"You're so gross," Lisa said. "And of course he does. He's vampire. That's what they eat."

He held out his little arm. "You can have some of mine, if you're hungry."

Sookie blanched, and I smiled politely. "That's very gracious of you," I said. "But I'm quite well at the moment. Thank you."

The movie started, and Sookie sat across from us in one of the chairs, the sound of their breathing and their heartbeats mingling pleasantly with the sweet smell of their blood and the buttery smell of popcorn. It wasn't long until both children were asleep. Colby leaned against my shoulder, and Lisa with her head in my lap.

"I didn't expect you to be so natural with them," Sookie whispered over the film, chewing the last of her sandwich.

"I haven't been around children in a long time," I confessed. "Most children are asleep when I'm awake, and they don't frequent locations…" I smiled. "You get the idea." She nodded. "But it's like riding a bike."

"You must've been a wonderful father," she finally said.

I didn't answer, simply stared intently at the screen, watching the cartoon father clown fish search for his lost son. "That turtle is high," I said at last.

"He's not high," Sookie indignantly replied. "It's a kid's movie."

"He's high," I repeated.

"He's from California." I quietly laughed. "Bill, shhh! You'll wake the kids." I carefully eased Lisa's head off my lap, and then stood up with Colby in my arms. "Wait a second," Sookie said, and she rushed to the closet, returning with several old quilts, which she piled into a pallet on the floor. "Here."

I gently laid the child down, and he curled over, still asleep. I put my arms around Sookie and held her to me. "He's high," I insisted.

She swatted my arm. "He's not," she giggled.

"I've lived in California, and no one speaks like that unless they're high."

"Thank you, Mr. Know-It-All." I silenced her with a kiss, teasing her lips into opening with my tongue. She softly sighed and leaned into me, opening her mouth and sucking on my bottom lip. I thrust into her so she could feel my arousal, and she quietly moaned and kissed me harder, tugging my hair to guide me.

"Let's go upstairs," I whispered.

"The kids…" Sookie gasped as I teased her nipples.

I ran my hand up her skirt, flicking her click through damp panties and ghosting my fingers over her thighs. "I'll hear them if they wake up."

"No," she shook her head. "Kitchen?"

I nodded, scooped her up, and flashed to the kitchen. I perched her on the edge of the table and slid off her panties. I smelled them deeply, watching through the lace as she blushed, before pocketing them. "Put your heels on the edge," I whispered.

She immediately did as I asked, and I gently spread her knees, and she was open before me like a glistening jewel. I licked in broad strokes along her wetness, and she gasped as her fingers clutched my hair. I nuzzled into her thigh, my fangs clicking into place at the nearness of her sweet blood. I gently teased her with my fingers while I bit into her soft flesh, sucking deeply on the rich blood. When she was close, I abruptly stopped. She groaned in frustration while I pierced my tongue and licked the wounds closed, and then I unfasten my pants and eased into her, the angle making her even tighter. She opened her eyes as I thrust into her. I kissed her, pulling all the way out and teasing her clit before pounding in again, hitting her sweet spot and making her moan.

"Shhh," I whispered. "You'll wake the children if you scream."

She bit into her bottom lip, and when I saw the drop of crimson blood, I sucked it into my mouth, her taste sending me into a frenzy of desire. I felt her muscles begin to tighten around me, and she gave a strangled cry into my mouth as she came seconds later, her internal contractions milking my own release.

I eased out of her, and leaned her gently back on the table as I found a clean cloth, wet it at the sink, and carefully cleaned her.

"My Gran would kill me for doing that on the kitchen table," Sookie whispered.

I straightened her shirt and gently pulled her upright, cradling her against my chest as I smoothed her hair.

"Your grandmother wanted you to feel loved and to be happy." Sookie sniffled, and I smelled the sweetness of her tears. "Are you those things?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Then she probably only would've asked that you cleaned up after yourself."

Sookie quietly laughed. "You're right. You barely even got a chance to know her, but you really get her."

I smiled sadly. "She was a special lady."

Sookie nodded. "She was."

"So are you," I said, kissing her hair. The dryer on the porch buzzed. "Want me to help you fold?" I asked.

"It's mostly your stuff anyway," Sookie said, hopping off the table and stepping out onto the porch.

"Mine?"

"Yep," she nodded, walking back into the kitchen with a basket of clean sheets and towels from my house. "I took them with me when I left this morning."

"Sookie," I said, folding a towel. "You don't need to tidy up after me."

"Well, some of it is my mess, too," she offered. "I couldn't just leave wet towels on the floor. They'll get mildewy. And I soaked your white shirt. The one that was muddy. It's too nice to ruin."

I smiled, helping her fold a sheet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We'd just finished folding the last of the things when I heard Rene's truck pull into the drive. "They're back," I said. "Why don't you meet them on the porch so they don't wake the children? I can lift them into the truck."

Sookie kissed my cheek and skipped to the door, which she opened as quietly as possible and slipped through. I heard the car doors, and Arlene squealed before Sookie whispered that the kids were asleep in the front room.

Arlene scampered back to the kitchen, her heels clattering on the hard-wood floor, Rene blushing and shaking his head, and Sookie looking puzzled, bringing up the rear.

"Do y'all want something to drink?" Sookie offered. Arlene sat noisily in one of the kitchen chairs, and Rene sat down next to her. "What's going on?" Sookie asked.

"You'd better sit down," Arlene said. As soon as Sookie does, Arlene waved her left hand in front of Sookie's face. "I'm getting married!"

"Congratulations!" Sookie said.

"Congratulations," I repeated, offering my hand to Rene. He turned up his nose for a split second, and then quickly smiled and shook it.

"Thank you, man," he said, looking away.

Sookie held Arlene's left hand, examining the tiny diamond.

"I know I've done it four other times," Arlene exclaimed. "But it never gets old!"

"Oh!" Sookie graciously smiled. "I am so thrilled for you two."

"Would you be a bridesmaid for me again?"

"Of course," Sookie said. "You hardly have to ask."

"Oh honey!" Arlene bursts out, hugging Sookie. "I love you so much." It's all I could do to not snort at the insincerity and absurdity of the entire moment, but Sookie seemed genuinely happy for her friend, so I smiled politely.

"Hey, maybe you two are next, huh?" Rene conversationally said to me, something men often awkward say at these female-moments. I saw Sookie's face immediately drop, and I knew that I wasn't allowed to marry her, or any other woman. "I mean," Rene stumbled. "When it becomes legal."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, but it was interrupted when Lisa wandered in, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Mama?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Sweetie," Arlene beamed, flourishing the ring. "You're going to be my flower girl!"

Lisa squealed and hopped over to hug her mother, and Sookie smiled at me and squeezed my knee under the table.

"Do y'all have any ideas?" Sookie asked.

"Something soon. Why wait? I need to talk to Sam about a party," Arlene rushed. "But look at the time! We'd best get on home. Lisa, go wake up your brother."

"You needn't wake him, Ms. Fowler," I said. "I'd be happy to carry him to the truck.

Arlene smiled at me stiffly. "No need to go to any trouble," she said. Rene smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders, and they tromped noisily to the front door. Colby was awakened, and they left. Sookie waved from the front door until they were out of sight before closing the door and locking it.

"Alone at last," she sighed. "I'm really sorry for Arlene. She's a good person, really…"

"Sookie," I interrupted. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine. She's rude to you. In my own home, no less."

"Not everyone is an understanding as you are," I said, pulling her into my arms.

"I'm exhausted," Sookie said. "Would you like to stay here tonight? With me? I mean, at least until dawn?"

I smiled at her and kissed her gently on the lips. "I would be delighted."

She took my hand and led me up the stairs. "I think there's a new toothbrush around here somewhere," she said outside the bathroom.

"I don't need a toothbrush," I said. I smiled broadly. "No bacteria. No bad breath. No decay."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "And I was hoping you'd let me brush your fangs…"

I laughed. "Well, if you really wanted to…" I clicked them out for her, and she jumped. "But maybe another night? When you'd have more time to fully admire them?" I grazed them along her neck, not breaking the skin, and she shivered in delight.

"I'll be just a minute," she said, stepping into the bathroom. "Human-stuff."

"Take your time," I assured her.

She closed the door behind her, and I returned to her little bedroom, quickly undressing and crawling under the covers, grateful to be surrounded by her scent and her things. My mind wandered as I listened to her brush her teeth and wash her face, as it so often had the past weeks, to Caroline and Sarah and Thomas, my son who wouldn't have remembered me. Sookie flipped off the light and came to bed, her nightgown soft against my bare skin.

"You smell like the sun," I whispered as I tucked her into my side.

"Gran always hung the laundry when she could," Sookie explained.

"I like it."

She nodded. "Me too."

She sighed and gently twisted the hair on my chest, and I felt a sadness that wasn't there earlier.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Arlene," she said. I patiently waited for her to finish the thought. "She's already been married four times. Not that I'd want any of her husbands. She has the worst taste in men. Not Rene – he seems okay. Jason really likes him… Even Jason has a new girlfriend. Did I tell you that?"

"No."

"He had her in the bar today. Sam hired her. She seems so… So nice." Sookie shook her head. "She's just not what Jason usually ends up with… with…"

"With his indiscriminate habits in regards to bedding the fairer sex?" I added.

Sookie quietly laughed. "Well, I wouldn't have worded it that nicely. But yes. That's what I meant."

I felt her warm breath on my chest, and I listened to the wet thumping of her heartbeat, and the night outside the open window was alive with insects and bats and birds.

"I just…" she finally said. "It just seems so unfair, really. That some people get so many chances at love, and other's don't. Before you, I never thought…"

I gently squeezed her. "That's got nothing to do with you, Sookie," I said. "I'm sure your not being with someone had nothing to do with uninterested parties."

"I've been asked some," she admitted. "But it's so hard when you can hear everything they're thinking all the time. And I couldn't have a child."

"Why not?"

"To hear what my kids thought of me all the time? It wouldn't be fair to them."

"You will be a wonderful mother, Sookie." I kissed the top of her head. "And being able to read a child's thoughts would occasionally come in quite handy. There were times, with my children, I had no idea why they were crying." She smiled. "And people like Arlene and your brother aren't in love. I've seen it over and over, more times than I'd like to. They want to be in love, they want to feel connected, and they loose themselves in a fantasy or in physical pleasure, but it's not love."

"Everyone wants to be connected," she said.

I nodded. "And everyone wants to be loved, too. But love, true love, is a gift. Not everyone is lucky enough for one chance in a lifetime, let alone more."

She was quiet for so long that I thought she'd fallen asleep, and when she finally spoke, it was so soft, a human wouldn't have heard her. "Did you love your wife?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Do you still?"

"I don't think people ever stop loving someone. The heart doesn't understand death or distance."

She nodded again and nuzzled her face against my chest and kissed me, and then she sighed and settled into sleep.

***

Lorena and I were living in New York City, and I'd never seen a place like it. Even at night, the city was alive in ways I'd never imagined were possible. We rented a townhouse, posing as husband and wife, using the excuse that I was frail with migraines and couldn't bear sunlight to keep the nosey neighbors at bay. There were concerts and the theatre and museum guards who could be bribed to open the doors after dark. The alleyways were filled with poor immigrants who were grateful for enough coins for a hot meal, and we usually didn't even have to glamour.

"I usually don't understand your love of such things, William," Lorena laughed as we left the theatre. "But I have to admit, I really enjoyed the play."

"Wait here," I said, smiling at her. "I'll find a carriage."

"Let's walk," she said. "It's a beautiful night." I bowed and offered her my arm, and she took it. We strolled towards the house at a human pace, peering at the shop windows and chatting like any other couple.

"William," she finally said. "Will you ask me to marry you?"

"Lorena," I sighed, stopping and letting my arms drop to my sides. "Please don't." I shrugged her hand from my arm. "Please don't ask again."

"I know you loved her," she said. "I'm not asking to replace her. But she's gone, William. It's been five years."

"I'm with you," I hissed. "I broke my vow to her, and I am faithful to you. What more can you ask of me?"

"Marry me," she simply said.

"No."

"I could command you."

"But you won't," I said, walking again.

"William," she said, hurrying to keep pace. "William, wait." She gripped my arm tightly enough to make my bones ache, and I stopped. "I love you," she said, looking up at me.

"Why do you want a silly piece of paper? A ring? Is that what you want? I'll buy you a ring. I'll buy you ten."

"I don't want money," she said, blinking away tears.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to promise to love me forever."

"Lorena, please," I said, looking away. "Please don't do this."

"You are everything to me. You are mine, and I am yours."

"That is all I can give you," I said. "There is nothing left of me to offer you."

"Your heart, William," she whispered, placing her gloved hand over my chest. "Love me. Marry me."

I took her hand in mine, and I felt the tears burn as I tried to blink them away. "Do not ask that of me," I said. Once more, I offered my arm to her, and she sighed, and took it. We continued our stroll down the street.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: A big thanks to everyone who's so patiently waiting for updates; my apologies for the delays between chapters. It's been like pulling teeth, and it was getting a bit long, so I'm splitting this night into two chapters. Thanks to my Whip-Cracker for suggesting it. I hope y'all can forgive me for leaving you hanging, but with any luck, I'll have the rest of the night up really soon.

I obviously don't have any right whatsoever to be writing this; the characters and dialogue belong to Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball.

* * *

Night Twelve, Part One

I carefully adjusted my cuffs as I waited at the front of the old church. The dark wood reflected the light from dozens of burning beeswax candles, and their sweet scent mingled pleasantly with the oiled wood. My gold cufflinks had belonged to my father, the engraved C nearly invisible after so many years of use.

"Nervous?" Eric whispered.

"No," I quickly replied. "Just thinking I'm the most fortunate man to ever walk the earth."

He laughed. "You are one lucky son of a bitch, I'll give you that. Of course, she could always change her mind. She has about five minutes to see the error of her ways and choose me instead."

"Not a chance," I said, smiling at him.

He straightened my tie, his hands lingering on my lapel. "You can't blame me for trying just one last time." He leaned over and kissed me on each cheek before turning me to face the rows of pews.

Lorena sat in the front. She wore the emerald gown she'd worn the night she released me, her fingers clutching the necklace I'd given her. I felt no malice or ill-will from her, only a resigned sadness. Caroline was there too, looking as beautiful as she had the day I'd left for war. She smiled serenely, holding baby Thomas, who was sleeping, with Sarah nestled by her side. Rebecca sat with her slender brown arms around Robert and my sister Sarah, both young children. Sam pulled at his shirt collar, obviously uncomfortable in a blazer and tie. Sookie's friends from Bon Temps, Tara and Lafayette and Hoyt and Arlene, chatted amongst themselves. Adele was there with Jason and a handsome old man in a black suit with flowing blond hair I didn't recognize. Hadley held Sophie-Ann's hand. Malcolm sprawled out in the pew looking bemused, Diane fidgeting and scowling next to him. Pam was rolling her eyes and making faces at Eric from the back.

At the minister's nod, Pam opened the doors at the back of the church, and there stood Sookie. She was radiant in a simple, ivory silk gown. I could tell by the soft crinkling sound that there would be petticoats to unfasten when we were alone, and even though I stood in a church, I couldn't help but feel aroused at the prospect. I heard Eric suck in his breath as she walked towards me, and Lorena began to silently weep, staining her handkerchief with blood, but Sookie had eyes only for me. And then she was there, right there in front of me. She put her hot hand into mine, and she smiled, and she was mine. I knew with a certainty I'd never experienced before that I would love her, and only her, forever.

***

I woke with tears stinging my eyes, and I didn't know if they were happy tears left-over from my dream, or tears of sadness because the cruel reality was that what I saw could never happen.

Two weeks earlier, before I walked into Merlotte's that fateful night, I never would've imagined I was capable of feelings like this. Before Sookie, I'd come to a kind of contentment in my life, and I'd settled into a comfortable pattern of wandering and study and research, but I wasn't alive like I was with her. In such a short amount of time, she'd awaken me. Sookie, my miracle, who could raise the dead. I thought that part of me had drowned long ago in a sea of blood and resentment and cruelty, never to seen again.

All these emotions were unsettling and disjointed, and I felt as out of control as a newborn vampire. But one thought remained, shining like a beacon through my confusion: I loved her. I didn't want to be her first; I needed to know that I was her only.

My phone vibrated to alert me I had a waiting message, and I held my breath, hoping it was from Sookie. Instead, it was a text from Eric. He was old enough to wake before sunset, and while he had to remain out of the light, he used the time to his advantage. There was a time, not long ago, when a text from Eric was as close as I could come to happy anticipation. "You will call immediately," it read.

I let the air out of my lungs in a sigh and deleted it, and I smiled when I saw a handwritten note sitting on top of a basket of clean and folded laundry in the front entryway: "Bill, thanks for staying over. I called the dry-cleaners for you, and someone's going to stay late tonight, if you can get there right away. Her name is Angela. I'll see you after work."

Her handwriting was neat and utilitarian, none of the extra swoops or swirls so many women are fond of. I held the paper to my nose and smelled her fingers along with the cheap ink and the chemicals in the paper and the detergent from the clean laundry.

My phone vibrated with another text from Eric: "You're awake: CALL."

I deleted that one too, and quickly got into my car and drove to the one dry cleaner in town. There was a teenaged girl waiting behind the counter, my few things hanging on the rack next to her. She was hunched over the tiny screen of her phone, her fingers flying as she typed with the numbers.

"Oh wow," Angela gushed when I walked in. Before I could react, she'd held up the phone and clicked a photo. "Cool. You don't mind, do you?" She indicated the phone. "Proof. No one at school's going to believe this…"

"Don't I appear the same as other people?"

"Sure," she nodded. "But you're not." Her face lit up. "Can I have one with your fangs?"

"Thank you for staying open tonight," I said, ignoring her request. My phone vibrated a third time. "Excuse me," I said, glancing at it. Eric again: "Check mate."

She shrugged. "You know, everyone says you're the one killing people."

"Do they?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Is it you? You can tell me."

"Why are you alone with a potential killer?" I asked.

"I know Sookie's crazy and all..." I glared at her, and she quickly smiled. "Not bad crazy, geesh!" she nervously said. "She's just different, but always been real nice to me. She wouldn't have asked if you were dangerous."

I nodded. Once again, Sookie had paved the way with townspeople who otherwise wouldn't accept me.

"Would you like to set up an account?" Angela asked, suddenly business-like. "We can bill you."

"That would be helpful," I said. "Thank you."

"We deliver, too, if you'd prefer, or I'd be happy to stay open for you from time to time."

She winked, and I stared blandly at the girl, who leaned across the counter, her tiny breasts clearly visible from her low-cut top. I knew Sookie would run errands for me during the day if I asked, but I didn't want her to feel like my employee. She'd already done so much. I gave the girl the necessary information and took my clothes.

"I'll see you around, Mr. Compton," the girl said. "I hope." She smiled at me and batted her long eyelashes, and I pretended not to notice.

"Good evening," I said as I left the shop.

***

As I opened my front door and pocketed my keys, I smelled a vampire and heard music coming from the upstairs bathroom. I laid my dry cleaning over the banister and silently flashed upstairs. I prowled outside the door, listening and smelling intently, and then I threw it open, ready to attack. When I saw Eric sprawled in the tub, I immediately went from predatory to irritation. He'd lit candles instead of turning on the lights, and the room was warm and damp, his musky scent heavy in the heat.

"I texted you three times," he said, not opening his eyes. "Why didn't you reply?"

"I hate using the number keys to type," I answered. That much, at least, was true. Eric snorted. "What are you listening to?" I asked.

"It's from my younger days," he elusively said. "It's really quite beautiful if you know Old Swedish." He didn't move, and he didn't look at me. "I have a favor to ask of you," he finally said.

"A favor or an order?" I asked.

He looked at me, his eyes the color of a stormy sea. "Depends on how you look at it," he said. "Honestly, did you think you could keep her to yourself?" I didn't answer, and he inhaled deeply. "Her scent is everywhere in this house. I do believe you've fucked her in this bathroom." We stared at each other, neither blinking. "Would you like me to fuck you?"

"That will not be necessary."

"I can, you know. Not only could I order you to yield as your Sheriff, and some Sheriffs do require… services… from their subordinates. Have you ever had such a Sheriff?"

"No," I answered.

"Of course not," he said with a smile. He appraised me as if I were on the auction block. "I could physically force you, if I so desired."

"What do you want, Eric?"

"The girl," he said.

"Can we please leave Sookie out of this?" I said.

"Given your inability to lie convincingly," he continued. "I believe you when you say she's not psychic. But she's something. I'm going to guess that she's a mind-reader."

"Eric," I said.

"I don't know how you managed to stumble across such a valuable commodity," he said, as if I hadn't spoken. "Especially so quickly after moving here. That's quite a coincidence." He looked at me and waited for a response, but I remained silent. "Bon Temps is part of my Area, and you are under my authority. By extension, she is my asset to use as I see fit."

"Eric," I repeated. "Why are you doing this?"

"Me?" he said, his eyes wide and innocent. "Why am I doing this? I warned you, Bill. I warned you not to fuck with me. You've forced my hand." He paused, the silence between us unusually heavy and awkward. "Fuck," he snarled as he smacked the surface of the water, sending droplets across the room. "Why are you doing this? Is it for her? For this girl?" Once again, I didn't answer. "There are two conclusions for bonded humans, and only two. Trust someone who's lived considerably longer than you have and who's tried it all and then some." He held up two fingers as if I were a simpleton child. "One, said bonded can be turned. Are you planning on turning her?"

"No!" I forcefully replied.

"Two," he said, ignoring my outburst. "It ends badly. Good god, Bill, she's human! She was a virgin when you brought her to Fangtasia, don't lie badly and tell me she wasn't, and from the smell of it, she certainly isn't now. You've completely ruined her for human men."

"Eric," I said, wanting to defend myself.

"I'm not finished," he interrupted. "From personal experience, I can tell you bonded-human relationships don't work. Too much power is entrusted to a fragile, short-lived, mortal. Have you thought about the fact she's human? That it would be easy for you to accidentally kill her?"

"Every night."

"Well, think about it again, goddamnit. Do you want to bear that particular burden, along with the weight of the entire fucking world that you insist on lugging around?" He shook his head. "The humans will never accept you because you are vampire, and vampires will never accept you if you're fool enough to be serious about your human. You've never claimed a human, Bill. Why now? Why this girl?"

"Times are changing," I stated. "You can't know what the future holds."

"This isn't like you, Bill. With all that's going on, you're making a huge mistake, and you don't make mistakes."

"I've made plenty of mistakes," I quietly reminded him.

Eric snorted. "Good god, you're tedious. So intent on torturing yourself, you self-righteous prick. Did it ever occur to you to pick up the fucking phone after you'd learned of the nest-fire?"

I hung my head. "No."

"No," he sneered. "Never mind it was your duty to inform your Sheriff. Never mind that it would've been helpful for you to investigate as quickly as possible, before the humans contaminated the scene. But did you ever think…" Eric's voice trailed off, and I stood silently before him. "I would've felt it if you'd been harmed, but did you think to call?"

"No," I repeated.

"You were probably too busy fucking your little sweet-smelling telepath."

"Eric," I began again.

"What will you do?" He interrupted, his voice rising again. "Have her grow to hate you as she ages and you don't? Play her nursemaid when she's old and dying? Curl up in the sun next to her grave and turn to ash when she dies? You're a fucking idiot." He snarled as his gaze bore into me. He abruptly stood, water splashing everywhere, running in rivets down his chiseled muscles. He looked around. "Where are the fucking towels in this dump?"

I handed him one, and he smirked as I averted my eyes from his nakedness. "You are not a man, Bill. You can never be a man again. Giving up everything, fucking everything, for this human, no matter how valuable her skills, will not change that. Get over it!"

"Would you please stop yelling at me in my own bathroom?"

"I'll do whatever I please, where ever I please."

"You can't have her," I quietly challenge. "She is mine. That overrides your authority as Sheriff. The Queen herself cannot take her from me."

"Maybe not outright," he threatened, leaning close to me, the water from his hair dripping onto my shoulder. "But don't think there aren't ways of accomplishing any goal. Never forget that humans are fickle and untrustworthy. Maybe I'll seduce her myself and convince her to leave you. Maybe I'll kidnap you, and we can discover how much she cares for you. Shall we see what lengths she'd go to for you? I've warned you, Bill. There is survival, and there is death. Unlike you, I always choose survival." He toweled his hair.

"What will you do when they come for her?" he finally asked. Once again, I didn't answer. "Don't think they won't, Bill, when it gets out what she can do, and it inevitably will. There's no way to keep this quiet. Every King and Queen in North America will come. The powerful Sheriffs, too. They'll hunt you down like a dog if you try to protect her. They'll kill you and take her, and then what?"

"Eric, I've known her less than two weeks, and you're asking me for answers I don't have."

"What have you gotten yourself into?" he quietly asked. "I know you remember me telling you to stay away from politics. What's going on?"

I longed to tell him everything. Not Eric, my Sheriff, but Eric, my friend, and I'd never felt as alone as when I looked him in the eye and simply said, "Nothing."

"Such a terrible liar," he sighed. "I can't protect you if I don't know what I'm protecting you from."

"I am fine," I insisted.

"And it's impossible to protect you from yourself… Why are you doing this? Why, Bill? If you were in trouble, or so unhappy, why didn't you come to me? You think so little of me?"

I shook my head and looked away. "Eric," I pled, my resolve wavering. "Don't… Please don't…"

"We've been friends for over 100 years," he said. "For most of your life. You'll throw that away for her? How rare is it among our kind to form a bond such as ours, outside the realm of necessity, without the burden of being Maker and Child?" His voice grew very quiet, too quiet for a human to hear, and he gently stroked my cheek. "You do not think we could be nest-mates? Brothers? Lovers, even?" He leaned into me, his nakedness pressed against my belly. "You think I would force you, or hold you against your will, or make you do something you abhor? You think I would be Lorena?"

"Eric, this isn't about you."

"Really?" he stepped away. "What about the obvious fact she's the human, female version of me."

I was stunned. "She is nothing like you."

"You're an even bigger fool than I thought. I recognize my own kind. That girl is a survivor. She may look like a darling Southern belle, but she is fierce. She has the heart of a warrior, and she'd make a magnificent vampire."

"Never!" I hissed as my fangs popped down.

"So it comes to this?" he asked. "Two weeks with this human, and you'll turn against me?"

Eric ran his thumb over one fang, pressing his hand gently against my lip. He pricked the tip of his thumb, and a single drop of blood oozed out before the tiny wound healed. He smeared it on my bottom lip.

"She is not one of us," he whispered, his lips so close they brushed against mine. "You can never love her the way you could love your own kind, with total abandon and passion. She will never fully understand you, and you will never be able to be yourself without risking her. If you do not turn her, because you're so young, you'll probably die yourself when her short life is over. If you do turn her, most likely she'll come to resent you, as Children resent their Makers. And most importantly, you are making yourself extremely vulnerable." I stepped away from him and wiped his blood from my lip with the back of my hand, and then wiped it off on my pants. "You refuse my blood? For her?" He looked at me sadly as he pulled on a black tank-top.

"Eric," I said.

"So be it," he said, his eyes ice-cold as they stared through me, the Eric I loved buried under the Sheriff standing before me.

"Eric," I repeated, pleading.

"Bring her to Fangtasia tonight," he commanded, his voice quiet and disinterested.

I sighed. "And if I refuse?"

"I'll come for her." He slipped on his pants. "All's fair in love and war, Bill. I won't be responsible for the consequences."

"What happened to fighting the honorable fight?" I asked.

"As you so righteously pointed out the night we met," he said as he walked through the door, his back to me. "There is never honor in fighting."

***

I leaned against the hood of Sookie's car while I listened to her finishing up in the bar, Eric's words churning in my head. I was tempted to call the Queen to intervene, but if she thought I couldn't handle the situation, she might come for Sookie. I considered calling Eric, begging him to listen. If I explained everything, Lorena and the Queen and Hadley, perhaps he'd stop whatever plans my response this evening had put into effect. I wasn't convinced that he'd understand my feelings for Sookie, but Eric was loyal. We'd shared blood, and he would come to my aid, regardless of his opinions. But something about Sookie intrigued him. Even Sophie-Ann was afraid of Eric learning about her. That alone was enough to keep my silence. But Eric was right – Sookie was in danger. There was a human intent on killing her. Her cousin had sold her out to the Queen. Her gift would make her a target to vampires everywhere. I was tormented by dreams of weddings, and despite my heart's desire, Lorena, were she to learn of my affections for another, would not merely be saddened. And now Eric was planning something. I didn't know what, but I knew it wouldn't be good. This night smelled of a set-up. He'd known how I would respond, and Eric did not live as long as he had without being powerful and ruthless.

Sam popped his head out the back door and saw me. I gave a nod, and he growled and went back inside. "Sookie," I heard him say. "You can go ahead and leave. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Sam," Sookie said. I listened as she walked back to his office, folded her apron, and collected her things.

"Hey Sook," Sam said. "Is something wrong?"

"I just have a lot on my mind right now," she said.

"Be safe, okay?"

"I'll be just fine."

"Well, if you ever need anything, I hope you know you can call me. Anytime."

I heard her hug him. "I know, Sam," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Goodnight." I listened as she walked out, and she looked up, startled, when she saw me. "Bill!" I smiled. She shook her head and walked towards me, fishing keys from her bag. "Are you going to be here every night?"

"Is that such a bad thing?" I said as I pulled her to me with one arm. I pulled the white and red roses from behind my back and bowed slightly as I handed them to her. "Miss Stackhouse," I said as I handed them to her. I knew Sam was watching, and I ignored the dog-smell as I kissed her, my tongue making her shiver. She pulled away, and I gently took the keys from her hand and opened the passenger door for her.

"Thank you," she said, over the tops of the flowers. "But it's really not necessary."

"Lisa suggested that flowers were necessary…"

"No, not the flowers," she said, shaking her head. "They're lovely, and yes, unnecessary. I don't need you to buy me things. But I meant you driving me home from work. I don't need an escort."

"I disagree," I argued as I sat behind the wheel and started the short drive back to Sookie's house. "If, when the suspect is in custody, you'd prefer me to not escort you home, I'm willing to listen to any points you might have. In the meantime, I'll feel better if you're not out and about alone after dark." I kissed her hand.

"Bad things happen during the day, too," she quietly said.

I nodded, once again painfully reminded of how helpless I was to protect her during the day. I couldn't even protect myself. I'd never minded before Sookie, but now, those hours of lifelessness seemed endless. "But I have some control over the ones at night. Please allow me."

She sighed. "Okay. You win."

"That was surprisingly simple," I said.

"Watch it," she said. "Or I'll change my mind." I pulled her car up to her house and opened the door for her. "Did you get my note?" she asked as she unlocked the door.

"I did," I said, carefully smelling and listening for intruders. "Thank you. I stopped by the dry cleaner earlier this evening."

"Angela seemed a bit eager to meet you," she said.

"You have no idea…" I said under my breath.

Bill," she began. "I…" She smoothed her hair unnecessarily and looked at the floor.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. You want to go out tonight? Do something normal?"

"As it so happens, I have someplace I need to be this evening, so that would work out well."

"I just need a few minutes to freshen up and change," she said. She led me by the hand upstairs. I slipped off my shoes and leaned back on her bed, watching as she flipped through her closet. "Too much?" she asked, holding up a white dress.

I couldn't help but remember the vision of her in the ivory wedding gown. "It's lovely," I quietly said.

"Maybe I should ask you what's wrong?" she said. She hung the dress on the door frame and flopped next to me on the bed. "Did something happen?"

"What gave me away?" I asked as I kissed her hair. She shrugged. "Eric came to the house earlier tonight," I finally said.

"Eric?" she said. "Eric from Fangtasia Eric?" I nodded. "What did he want?" I closed my eyes and gently stroked her arm. "Oh," Sookie said. "He wants me." She sighed. "So maybe a normal night out is too much to ask for after all?"

I kissed her instead of answering, my hands sneaking under her shirt in the back as I held her to me. I unhooked her bra and teased her nipples as my tongue danced with hers.

"Are you trying to distract me from the big, bad vampire?" she asked when I moved to her ear, gently nipping its tender skin.

"Are you feeling… distracted?" I asked as I pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. Her bra quickly followed, and I took one breast into my mouth.

"Um… maybe…" she panted as she tugged on my hair.

"Complaining?" I asked as I kissed and licked my way back to her mouth. She shook her head, and I eased her out of her shorts and panties while she unbuckled my belt and tugged my slacks past my hips.

I held her hot body to mine, burying myself in her delicious sweet scent. Eric's words came unbidden to mind as my fingers tested her readiness before thrusting inside her, always mindful so I didn't hurt her.

"Bill," she gasped as I hit her sweet spot deep inside. She tilted her neck to the side, exposing her pulsing vein. I watched it throb with each heartbeat. "Do it," she insisted when I felt her muscles beginning to tighten. "Please."

I nuzzled my nose against it, feeling her pulse and smelling the blood so close to the surface. I licked it in long strokes before finally biting, her blood flooding my mouth. I kept expecting to get used to her unique flavor, but every time was a joyful surprise. As I pulled on the wound, I felt her clinching around me, and she cried out when I released into her. I pierced my tongue to heal the marks and pulled her to my side.

"I'd better get ready," she finally said.

"Would you like me to wash your back?" I offered.

"No," she said in a distracted way. "Just give me a couple minutes." I wanted to ask her again what was bothering her, as something was obviously wrong, but instead I was silent as she pulled on a short robe and headed to the bathroom.

***

Sookie looked so beautiful when she reappeared that I considered asking her to put on something less appealing. I had to remind myself that she was mine, that Eric, no matter his threats, could do nothing against her will without breaking one of the ancient laws. She was mine.

"Are you feeling unwell?" I asked when we were halfway to Shreveport. We'd driven in silence, listening to music from her iPod, which I'd asked her to bring so she'd be more comfortable with the selection. Sookie sighed and rubbed her temples with her eyes closed. "Are you alright? Did I take too much blood?"

"Bill," she sighed, her eyes still closed. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm fragile."

"All things being relative, Sookie, you are quite breakable."

"I am not weak," she snapped. She sighed. "Can you turn that off?" she asked, nodding to the stereo.

"Of course," I answered, immediately doing so. "And I never meant to imply that you're weak."

"I just can't handle anymore noise at the moment," she explained. I reached over and took one of her hands in mine. "You have no idea what it's like…" she quietly said.

"What?"

"You holding my hand like that. Being able to touch you without a flood of images and thoughts I don't want to know." She smiled. "Like last night, or tonight for that matter. All your skin against mine…" She shivered, her voice trailed off, and blood flooded to her cheeks, filling the car with a fresh wave of her scent. "You could be thinking about different ways to kill me, or some other beautiful woman you know, or making a mental grocery list, or wondering about the football scores. But it's silent. I have no idea what you're thinking, and I love it."

"I'm sure your gift has its uses," I gently reminded her.

She shrugged. "I just wish…" Then she shook her head. "Gran always said there wasn't much point in wishing for what you can't ever have." She opened her eyes and turned to me. "Everyone was just really loud today. Arlene was so darn smug about Rene asking her to marry him. She's a good person, she really is," Sookie quickly added. "But sometimes… and people are just…" I waited for her to finish her thought. "Some people are nice, but most thoughts are… Well, let's just say most people think carefully about what they say out-loud. And they haven't quite gotten over my Gran, and me being with you… Not that they thought that highly of me before…"

I carefully squeezed her fingers. "You can learn to block some of it out."

She shrugged. "I've gotten better as I've gotten older. I do alright most of the time."

"I can help, if you'd like."

"How will you be able to help?" she skeptically asked. I swallowed unnecessarily, wary of Eric's dire predictions and of revealing too many secrets. "Bill?"

I put both hands on the steering wheel and stared intently at the road. "I don't read minds," I clarified.

She smiled. "Um, yeah. I kind-of already knew that."

"But I do have... other gifts."

"Gifts?"

"This isn't information we'd like…"

"I know, I know," she interrupted, and I saw her roll her eyes. "You don't like your weakness to be public knowledge, so I assume you don't want your strengths to be either."

"That's correct," I nodded. "We are all stronger and faster and have more acute senses than humans," I began. "But some vampires, not all, but some, have additional powers."

She smiled. "You do." It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "I do." She didn't speak, and I was grateful that I couldn't glamour her, as I knew I'd be tempted to do so if I were able. "My senses are… extremely sensitive, for lack of a better description. Even by vampire standards." She nodded. "And I don't forget."

"Don't forget what?" she asked.

"Anything."

"What? Like ever?" she looked incredulous.

I smiled and shook my head. "No. Never."

"So it's like you're living in HD, and you remember every detail of every moment for the past 150 years?"

"173 years," I corrected. "I remember my human life too. It's not as clear because I remember it through my human experience, but it's all there. Things I'd forgotten before I was turned, even. Everything."

"That's… well… wow," Sookie said. "Really?" I nodded. "That's really cool."

"Not all the time," I said. "As I'm sure you understand, there are some things I would prefer to forget."

She was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded in agreement. "I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right. Then again, I'm sure your gift has its uses, too," she quoted back at me.

I smiled. "Yes, but like your extra sense, you know that it comes at a price. When I was newly turned, I almost lost my mind to the onslaught. I was disoriented from the sensory overload until I learned to control it. I can help you learn to turn down the volume, or block it out all together maybe. If you'd like."

She smiled. "I'd like that…" She leaned her head back, and we continued to drive in silence. "Hey Bill," she finally said. "Does Eric have a gift?"

I'd been flying with Eric, standing on his feet the way my daughter had done when we danced. He'd held me pressed against him, and the entire process defied all laws of nature. One moment, we were standing on the ground, his arms wrapped securely around me. He'd smiled down at me, and the next moment, we were speeding through the air.

"Don't be afraid," Eric had whispered in my ear.

"I'm not," I'd lied.

He'd chuckled, the sound rumbling deep from within his chest. He was the only solid thing in the world at the moment, and I'd never felt so safe as I had in his arms, the wind bringing tears to my eyes as we raced across the night sky.

"Bill?" Sookie repeated.

"I can't say whether he does or does not," I said.

She rolled her eyes again. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Sookie," I said. "I promise that I am not being intentionally evasive. It's just not my information to share."

"Why are you protecting him?"

"It's not that simple."

She huffed. "Then please explain it to me because it seems fairly simple."

"Most of our kind have spent decades, centuries in some cases, keeping secrets. Our survival depended on it. There were small nests for protection, occasionally for more emotional or affectionate reasons, but most vampires live singly, or in twos or threes, trying not to attract notice, either of humans or other vampires. For as long as anyone can remember, and for some, that is a long, long time, the first law was to not reveal ourselves or risk our secret."

"Vampires have rules?" Sookie asked. I nodded. "I suppose you'd have to. And I didn't think of your life like that," she quietly replied. "Vampire lives..." She giggled. "It's really not funny, but it's kind-of a contradiction, isn't it? The lives of the undead?"

I smiled. "Should be the title of one of those talk shows humans are so fond of."

"It sounds really lonely."

"Sometimes," I agreed, shrugging. "Don't pity me, Sookie. Don't pity any of us. Pity is a dangerous thing."

"You wouldn't hurt me," she said.

"I've essentially been on my own for the past seventy years," I said, moving away from her conviction. "Having a companion, trusting someone, sharing thoughts, having feelings…" Sookie reached over and took my hand. "Please understand that it is not easy for me. I am trying."

"I'm sorry, Bill," she said. "I didn't mean to pry."

***

I pulled up to the front of Fangtasia. They'd closed early, so the neon was turned off. Sookie glared out the window, and then turned and looked to glare at me.

"You said you wanted to go out tonight," I reminded her.

"I did not mean Fangtasia," she said, pronouncing the name as if it were a bad word. "All those pathetic people who come here looking for sex with vampires." She shuddered slightly.

"I know," I teased, turning to her. "It's despicable."

"You know what I mean," she said, refusing to back down even though the bar was obviously closed and empty of tourists. "So what? Five? Ten minutes?"

"For as long as Eric requires us," I told her.

"You mean as long as he requires me," she pouted. "He didn't even have the decency to ask me himself."

"You are mine," I explained, wishing I could tell her of his threats. I didn't want to alarm her, but she seemed so naïve and ill-equipped to deal with vampire-politics. I loved her endless faith in people, such a rare quality in humans, and even more so considering she heard everyone's deepest, darkest secrets. But moments like this, when she didn't have the sense to consider her own preservation, were infuriating. "He didn't need to ask your permission."

"He cannot check me out like a library book," Sookie insisted.

"Unfortunately, Sookie, he can." I heard her heartbeat quicken. "Eric is Sheriff of Area Five," I reluctantly explained.

"Sheriff?"

"It's a position of great power among our kind. We do not want to anger him. As long as the requests are reasonable, we should exceed to his wishes." She held the flowers to her nose, and I tentatively smiled, hoping she'd accept my peace offering. But then she cast them away as she opened the car door harder than necessary.

"I had this crazy dream this morning," she said as she leaned over the car. I held my breath, knowing that this must be what had been bothering her all evening. "We were sitting, eating breakfast, and all of a sudden, the sunlight set you on fire."

I leaned over the car and stared at the keys in my hands. She gazed at me intently, and I knew she wanted me to contradict her. More than anything, I wanted to tell her that we could, in fact, have a normal life together, that I could give her all the things she wanted. I knew the dream represented how different our lives would always have to be. I was vampire, and she wanted me to be human. Like she'd said earlier, it didn't help to wish for things that could never be. I'd learned that the hard way.

"It wouldn't happen quite that way," I finally said. "The sunlight would severely weaken me, and eventually, of course, I would die." She nodded and swallowed. "But I wouldn't burst into flames," I said. "Not right away at least." I immediately walked away, not wanting to see the effect of my reality flicker across her face.

"So I guess we'll never have breakfast together," she quietly said. I wasn't sure whether or not I was supposed to hear, so I pretended like I didn't. Instead of answering, I felt her sadness and knocked on the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: My most sincere and grateful thanks to everyone who's been patiently waiting for me to complete this story. All your none-too-subtle, whip-cracking, "get your bottom in gear and post already" PMs are appreciated. I never intended to leave this story unfinished; I just couldn't get back into it. But I will fervently try. (This is me, trying – only 3 more chapters after this one, and all of them doozies. There won't be anymore fun or smut until Missing Two Weeks.)

As always, none of the characters are mine, and the dialogue lifted from True Blood is… well… lifted. The bits in between are the only parts that I claim as my own interpretation. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Night Twelve – Part Two

_I leaned over the car and stared at the keys in my hands. She gazed at me intently, and I knew she wanted me to contradict her. More than anything, I wanted to tell her that we could, in fact, have a normal life together, that I could give her all the things she wanted. I knew the dream represented how different our lives would always have to be. I was vampire, and she wanted me to be human. Like she'd said earlier, it didn't help to wish for things that could never be. I'd learned that the hard way._

"_It wouldn't happen quite that way," I finally said. "The sunlight would severely weaken me, and eventually, of course, I would die." She nodded and swallowed. "But I wouldn't burst into flames," I said. "Not right away at least." I immediately walked away, not wanting to see the effect of my reality flicker across her face._

"_So I guess we'll never have breakfast together," she quietly said. I wasn't sure whether or not I was supposed to hear, so I pretended like I didn't. Instead of answering, I felt her sadness and knocked on the door._

By the time Pam opened the door, Sookie was beside me, my arm wrapped securely around her waist.

"Bill," Pam said in her bored way, holding open the door for us to enter. She locked it behind us and walked towards the bar, where Longshadow and Eric waited.

"Pam," Sookie said, her voice higher than normal in surprise. "You look really nice." Pam was wearing a pale pink sweater and grey slacks, her usual conservative attire when she wasn't playing vampires for the amusement of the tourist. She rolled her eyes and snorted before taking her place by Eric's side. "Yes, because who doesn't want to look like Elvira?"

Eric nodded towards one of the small tables, and I held out the chair for Sookie, who looked at me nervously before sitting. I stood behind her in a defensive position until Eric gestured me away, as if I were a fly who could be swatted.

"Miss Stackhouse," Eric said. "Would you care for a beverage?"

Sookie shook her head politely. "No thank you. What's this all about?" Sookie asked. I tasted my own blood as I bite down on my cheek, wishing for what already felt like too many times, that I could glamour her, if only for a sense of self-preservation. She could be infuriatingly dense. _Careful, sweetheart_, I poured into our fragile bond. _Tread very, very carefully._

"Pam, bring him," Eric said. We waited in silence until Pam returned, rather quickly, with a fat, sweaty human in tow. She pulled on his arm, and he huffed to keep up with her pace. He was so nervous his skin was tinged green, and Sookie shot an alarmed glance in my direction as Pam forced him to sit in the chair across the table from Sookie.

"Pam, Longshadow, and I are partners in this club," Eric began, his hands casually in his pockets. His flip-flops made a scuffing sound on the floor as he walked, which wasn't nearly as irritating as Longshadow's clicking his lighter behind the bar. "And we recently noticed that sixty-thousand dollars has gone missing from our books. Bruce," Eric said as he placed his hand forcefully on the human's shoulder. "Is our accountant. Perhaps you can start by listening to him."

"He's not saying anything," Sookie immediately replied.

"Don't be coy," Eric insisted. "It's humiliating enough to have to turn to a human for assistance. We know what you can do."

"And I know what you can do," Sookie shot back. "Why don't you just glamour him?"

"Now don't you think we might've tried everything before summoning you?" Eric said, his tone still even. Only someone who knew him well would be able to see the signs of anger, and I again silently pushed against the bond, hoping that Sookie would understand and heed my warning. "So…" he continued. "It would be a great favor to me, and to Mr. Compton," Eric purposefully looked to me, and when Sookie's heart skipped a beat, I knew she understood the threat. "If you help us."

"If I find out who did it," Sookie said. "Then what?" I rolled my eyes and sighed loudly enough that Pam flicked her gaze over to me. Why Sookie would care about the fate of some stranger when our lives hung in the balance was beyond my comprehension.

"We'll turn that person over to the police and let the authorities handle it from there," Longshadow replied.

Sookie snorted. "Hundreds of years old, and you're still a terrible liar. Come on." She turned back to Eric. "I'll make you a deal: if you promise to hand over whoever did this to the police, I'll agree to help you anytime you want."

I caught a flash of Eric's smug pleasure even as he presented a calm and even expression to Sookie. "Alright," he simply said. "Why not?" I wanted to shake her for making such a dangerous bargain with Eric; Sookie was so far out of her league. But until Eric got whatever it is he was looking for, I had to remain silent.

Sookie took the man's hand. "Bruce, it's okay," she soothed. "Take a deep breath. Did you steal their money?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "No! No, you gotta believe me. I didn't do it."

"Shhh," she quietly said, her fingers pressed gently into his hand. "Do you know who did?" They were both silent for several moments, and Sookie leaned towards him. I knew she was listening intently, sorting through his thoughts, which must be scattered and fearful despite Eric's promises.

"No," he simply said.

"He's telling the truth," Sookie immediately added, speaking directly to Eric.

"You trust this skinny human to clear the fat one?" Longshadow quickly added. I eyed him carefully. Longshadow wasn't one to speak so boldly. He might be a partner at Fangastia, but he was not much older than I, and he was very much under Eric's authority. I looked to Eric, and then back to Longshadow. His outburst only made sense if he was nervous.

Eric silenced Longshadow with a glare before speaking to Pam. "Bring the next one in."

Bruce openly wept as Pam dragged him off. I was sure she would glamour him before setting him free for the evening, and she returned shortly with a young woman who didn't look old enough to drink, let alone work in a bar. The process continued, Sookie confirming each human's innocence as Eric outwardly grew more bored by the second while I felt him on edge through the blood, and Longshadow visibly became more agitated. First there were two girls who worked the merchandise counter, followed by the wait-staff, all attractive and bitten.

When Pam was once again glamouring and fetching, Longshadow said, "Eric, this is absurd. How do you know this human is trustworthy?" He hissed at Sookie, who swallowed and squared her shoulders, refusing to look away from him.

"I have my reasons," Eric said.

"I grow tired of this process," Longshadow said. "I'm leaving."

"You will stay," Eric said.

Longshadow eyed him carefully. "You are not my master."

"No," Eric agreed. "But you will stay all the same."

"This is a waste of time."

Eric smiled. "Yes, but that is one thing we have plenty to spare, is it not?" Longshadow huffed. "You will stay."

"This is the last of our humans," Pam said as she towed in a scantily clad woman.

The woman eyed me hungrily, licking her lips. "Hmmm… Yummy." As if I would ever allow such a woman near me, let alone taint myself with her blood.

"Ginger," Eric said, ignoring her outburst. "This woman has some questions for you." Pam pushed her into the chair and stubbed out her cigarette. "Be a good girl and answer them, will you."

"Eye, eye, Master," Ginger said. Sookie glanced quickly at me and rolled her eyes. I smiled my understanding. But when Sookie reached across the small table to take the woman's hand, she pulled away. "Don't you touch me," she snapped at Sookie.

"Hold her still," Eric said. Pam pushed Ginger forward, her hands very white on her shoulders.

"Ginger," Sookie kindly said. "Someone's been stealing money from the bar."

"Really?" Ginger replied, not looking at Sookie and squirming under Pam's grip.

"She didn't do it," Sookie said to Eric. "But she knows who did."

"Fuck you," Ginger snapped at Sookie. Pam moved away to stand next to Eric, and I silently cursed as I carefully shifted my weight so I could spring if the woman lunged at Sookie.

"Who?" Sookie suddenly said. She hadn't let go of the woman's hand. "Who's going to kill you? Ginger, honey, what's his name?" She closed her eyes and gripped Gingers hand more tightly. "It's…" she began, shaking her head. "It's blank. Like her memory's been erased."

"I don't know anything," Ginger said, turning to Eric. "I swear."

"She's been glamoured," Pam knowingly whispered to Eric.

"It's a vampire?" Sookie asked, looking to Pam in surprise.

At that moment, Longshadow vaulted across the bar to Sookie. His fangs popped when he was mid-air, so that when he landed, he pushed her across the table, his hands on her throat.

Time moved as if slowed: my fangs slid out as I moved into a crouch, ready to lunge; Longshadowed snarled and growled as he held Sookie; the human screeched and knocked over a table while staring with wide eyes; Pam and Eric exchanged a look that did not bode well for either Sookie or me, and neither moved to restrain Longshadow. Being the elder, Eric was the only one who could physically overpower him without killing him.

"Ginger, enough," Pam finally said to the human, who gulped and managed to stop.

"Thank you," Eric quietly said to Pam.

I looked to Eric, waiting for him to stop Longshadow, and he actually leaned casually against the bar, his hands in his pockets, as he watched with a bored expression. When Longshadow tilted Sookie's head, exposing her jugular that trembled along with her rapidly beating heart, I couldn't wait. He opened his mouth, and he was a flash away ripping out her throat. If I did nothing, Sookie would die and Longshadow would incriminate himself not only in the theft, but also her death. As my human, I could claim grievances against him, but Sookie would be dead unless I could change her fast enough to save her, but then she would be vampire.

I snapped the wooden beer tap, surprised that Eric would allow it, as it was one of the very few pieces of wood in the entire bar. The bar itself and the tables and chairs were all metal, Eric not wanting to having potential weapons lying around. It occurred to me as I vaulted the bar towards Longshadow that it was very lucky I'd been standing right there. Too lucky…

Once I pushed the jagged end through his thin shirt, the make-shift stake slid easily into his flesh, finding its way to his unbeating heart almost as if on its own. Longshadow straightened at first, and I could only see Sookie over his shoulder when the gush of blood spewed from his mouth. I saw, from the corner of my eyes, Pam and Eric exchange another look as the magic that held Longshadow together quickly faded and his body rapidly decomposed into bloody goo, most of it splattering onto Sookie before wetly hitting the floor.

I'd never killed another vampire, and I was shocked as I watched until only his boots were left standing, the smell of his blood sweet and heavy in the air. The human vomited, the stench of her stomach acid and contents overpowering the smell of Longshadow's remains, and she started screeching again.

"Humans," Eric said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly Bill, I don't know what you see in them." Sookie sat up, her heart still racing and stared at me. She was dripping with blood and pieces of Longshadow. "Pam, show Miss Stackhouse to the restroom so she can clean herself," Eric said. "And get a bucket for Ginger."

"B… Bill…" Sookie stammered. I offered her my hand and helped her down from the table and across the bloody floor.

"It's alright, sweetheart," I said.

"Can you come with me?" she asked in a very small voice.

Before I could respond to her or look to Eric, he spoke: "No."

I smiled and squeezed her hand. "It's alright," I repeated. "I'll be with you in a few minutes. Pam will help you." She nodded and obediently followed Pam through the door that led to the restrooms. Pam returned quickly carrying one of those plastic bins the servers use when they clear tables.

"Clean up," she said to the woman, who was incoherently mumbling to her mother and Jesus. Her eyes didn't meet Pam's, and she looked on the verge of hysteria. Pam carefully slapped her, not hard, but enough to bring her to her senses. "Clean up," she repeated. The woman nodded and dropped to her knees in her tiny skirt, continuing to mutter.

Pam and Eric leaned against the bar, watching for some time in a bored kind of way. I thought of hot summer afternoons with Robert watching ants move to and from their hill.

"When Ginger is finished," Eric finally said. "Glamour her for me."

"Are you sure?" Pam asked. "She's been glamoured one too many times already. Who knows how much of her is left."

"It's either that or turn her," Eric said. They both watched as she struggled not to throw up again. "You want her?"

"Please," Pam said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not that desperate. Glamour it is."

"Excellent," Eric replied. He then turned to me. "Come. I'll buy you a blood. Pam, when Ginger's finished, assist Miss Stackhouse."

"Do I look like a lady's maid?" Pam asked.

Eric turned and stared at her for a moment. "Yes." He didn't wait for her to reply, but simply grabbed a TruBlood from the cooler and led me to his office. When the microwave quietly dinged, he handed it to me.

"Thank you," I said, the warmed glass comforting in my hands.

"How do you stomach that stuff?" he asked. "Don't you find it metallic and vile?"

"I don't think about it," I explained. "It's sustenance, that's all." Eric smiled at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he moved to sit behind his desk. "What?" I asked.

"If you're their poster-boy, the mainstreaming movement's in very big trouble," he said with a grin. "TruBlood: it keeps you alive, but it will bore you to death."

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" I said, weary of his games.

"You killed a vampire, Bill," Eric said, immediately serious. "For a human. What are we going to do about this?"

I swallowed, sure that it had all been planned, that Eric was maneuvering me exactly where he wanted. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.

Eric shrugged and casually said, "I'll take the girl."

"No!" I quickly responded. Eric leveled his gaze, and I respectfully looked away in submission. "You can have anyone you want," I said. "Why do you want her?"

"Why do you want her? You're not in love with her, are you?"

"Sookie must be protected," I answered.

"Now that sounds like an edict," Eric replied. "But it couldn't be because I would know about that." He sneered at me. "Admit it: You love her."

"If I hadn't done what I did, would you have let his disloyalty stand?"

"Whatever I did to Longshadow, I would not have done in front of witnesses, especially not vampire witnesses." Eric stared at me. "Not smart, Bill. Not smart at all." I took a long, slow swallow of the TruBlood, careful to not grimace. "Whatever I feel about his death, or about you, the matter is out of my hands."

"Out of your hands?" I asked.

"The Powers that Be are concerned over our population since we lost so many of our brothers and sisters since the Great Revolution, and the human now require us to register newborns. All matters such as these must be turned over to the Magister."

"The Magister?" I whispered. I closed my eyes to take in how precarious my situation was. When I finally opened them, Eric was calmly staring at me.

"As it so happens, he'll be passing through night after tomorrow."

"That's certainly convenient," I said.

"I don't appreciate your tone," Eric replied. "And yes, it is convenient."

"And I don't appreciate all these 'conveniences' that have led to this situation."

Eric gazed at me in a stony silence. "Are you threatening me?"

"No, Sheriff," I quickly answered, bowing my head. "I am simply wondering why we can not handle this amongst ourselves. Surely you know if Longshadow's maker survives. I'll be happy to pay any restitution he requires, in addition to the money Longshadow stole from you."

"It's not that easy, Bill," Eric said. "I told you, it's out of my hands."

"You are old and powerful and widely known and well respected," I began.

"And you are an appallingly bad stuck-up," Eric interrupted.

"Yes, but…"

"Begging doesn't suit you, either." We stared at each other across the desk until the sound of Sookie's shoes on the floor caused both our heads to turn towards the door. "If you let me have her, this will quietly go away," he said.

"Sookie is mine," I vowed.

Eric nodded. "I think your human is ready to depart," Eric said, rising from his chair.

I followed him out into the bar, where Sookie stood waiting with Pam. Pam had dressed her in an awful fanbanger outfit which clashed with her white shoes. Her hair was wet, and she clutched her little sweater and her purse.

I kissed her forehead and pulled her into my side. "Eric, Pam," I said, nodding to them.

"I'll be in touch," Eric said, his tone light but the meaning ominous.

***

We sped home in silence. I drove as quickly as I dared and made the trip in record time. Along the way, I once again silently thanked whatever it was about my brain that made it impossible for Sookie to read my thoughts. I hated keeping yet another secret from her, but I didn't want her to worry. I didn't want to worry, either, and I held out hope that Eric, not Eric the Sheriff but Eric my friend, would not turn me over to the Magister. I didn't want to consider that as a possibility, nor did I want to consider the obviousness of the evening's set-up. I'd fallen right into his trap, and if I appealed to the Queen for help, in all likelihood, Sookie would be taken from me and taken from Bon Temps, which she would hate. If I confided in Eric about the Queen's mission, I would be committing treason, and it was a death-wish to cross Sophie-Anne and Andre. Handing Sookie over to Eric was simply not an option, and I didn't want her to know that Eric had suggested it as a solution. My best bet was to put my fate in the Magister's cruel hands, if Eric went through with it and called a Tribunal over Longshadow. All of the options were dangerous for Sookie, who had enough to worry about with a human after her, and they were all dangerous for me.

"You alright?" Sookie asked me as I pulled into her driveway from Hummingbird Road.

"Of course," I said. "And you?"

"I'm fine," she answered too quickly.

"That was gruesome," I said. "I am so sorry it happened. I had no idea…"

"I just didn't realize vampires would do that when they died," she shuddered. "What was that?"

"Wooden stake through the heart," I quietly said.

"I thought that was just in the movies," she said.

I shrugged. "Sometimes, they get it right."

"So in the sun, you don't burn up right away, but a little piece of wood will do that?"

"Well," I said, putting the car into park. "I would burn in the sun, but I wouldn't immediately burst into flames." She nodded. I turned off the car and flashed to her side to open the door.

"So you're not in any trouble?" she asked as I helped her up the uneven path.

"A simple slap on the wrist," I lied. "That's all."

"You swear?" she asked. "Because Pam made it sound…"

"Pam was turned almost one hundred years ago, and yet somehow behaves as thought everyday were Halloween," I said, grateful to deflect the conversation. I held onto Sookie's arm as we walked up the porch steps and she fished her keys from her purse. "She's all drama, theatrics. I assure you, everything is fine." I held open the door, glad that Sookie was focused on the keys and not looking into my face. Even though I'd been lying for decades, I'd never much cared for it, and I know I didn't do it very well.

"I'm going to take a shower," Sookie said as we walked into the house. Immediately, I smelled the man who'd been here before. "I still feel like there's blood all over me." Sookie flipped on the light, and the ceiling fan kicked on.

"Don't look up!" I said as soon as I saw the body of her cat swinging from the end of one of the fan blades. She did anyway, and caught a spray of blood in her face before I could flash over and turn off the light and stop the fan with my hand. Sookie had dropped to the stairs, shaking.

I carefully listened and smelled, sensing that the intruder had left. "Sookie," I quietly said. "Sookie, I can't hear him, can you? Can you listen for me and make certain he's gone?" I wanted her to focus on something else, if only for a moment.

She nodded and took a shaking breath to compose herself. "No one else is here," she confirmed. "How did he get in?"

"I'm going to find out," I said. "Come here." I scooped her up and flashed to the kitchen, well out of view of the front entry. I wet a cloth at the sink and cleaned her face and put on a kettle of water. While I waited for it to boil, I held her in my lap at the table.

"That's Tina, isn't it?" she quietly asked. I nodded. "What kind of person would kill a cat?"

"Life is cruel, Sookie."

"But does it have to be? I'm not saying I expect it to be easy all the time, but does it have to be so hard?" I smoothed her hair from her forehead and softly kissed her. When the water was ready, I made her a cup of tea.

"I want you to sip this," I said. "I'm going to clean up, and you're going to spend the night at my house." She nodded, and I quickly got materials from under the sink and set to work with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray. I wrapped the little body first in an old towel, and then in a pillowcase.

"Sookie," I said as I returned to the kitchen. "Where would you like me to bury it?"

"Her," Sookie said. "Tina's a her, not an it."

I nodded. "Alright. Where would you like me to bury her?"

"I want to do it." Sookie stood up, rinsed out her mug in the sink, and headed out the backdoor.

"Sookie," I said. "I can do it more quickly."

"I want to do it," she repeated. She grabbed an old shovel from the shed and looked around the yard. "There," she said, pointing. "Tina loved sitting in the lilies. I think she'd like to be buried there."

I nodded and followed her and silently watched while she struggled with the shovel. It took a while, but there was finally a hole deep enough in the heavy, clay soil for the little body. She took the bundle from my arms and placed it tenderly in the ground.

"Did you find her head?" she asked.

I had not realized she'd seen where the blood had come from. I shook my head. "No. He must've taken it with him."

She nodded. "How did he get in?"

"The upstairs bathroom window was open. He slit the screen."

She bit her bottom lip. "That's my fault. I forgot…"

"Sookie, you need to stay with me until we find who's responsible. If you'd been here…"

"I know," she quietly answered before filling in the hole.

***

Once back at my house, we both quickly showered. Sookie pulled on one of my shirts, a habit of hers that I was coming to enjoy more than I thought I would, and I wrapped up in a robe. We crawled into bed, and I carefully covered her so my body wouldn't chill hers.

"I'll stay with you for as long as I can," I said. "Would you like to call Sam and ask him to come over after dawn?"

"That's sweet of you, Bill," she said. "I know you don't much care for him, but no. I'm fine."

"You need to try and get some sleep," I said. "Aren't you tired?"

"Every time I close my eyes, I see her face."

"The cat?" I quietly asked.

"Gran," Sookie sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "But now that you mention it, Tina's in there too."

"You do know that I am not going to let anything happen to you. That I am here for you, to protect you."

"What if I don't want to be protected?" Sookie said. "What if wanting to be protected makes me feel like the helpless little girl I used to be all over again?"

"Sookie, all of things you need to be protected from, all of the trouble you're in, you are in before of me. So your needing to be protected has nothing to do with you or who you are. All of it is my fault." I stroked her hair as she looked away from me, and I wished, again, that I could glamour her to forget. "So why don't you just go to sleep and let me be the one to worry about it."

"Bill," she said as she turned onto her back to face me. "All the trouble I'm in, it's mine. I chose it. I chose it when I chose you."

"Yes," I said. "But…"

"Don't you think I want to blame somebody else?" she interrupted. "But what happened to m Gran, and now to poor Tina, it's my fault, and it's sweet of you to try and take it one from me, but if I let you, I'd be so mad at you. I'd never be able to look at you again, and right now, your face is just about the only think getting me by. So why don't we just leave it on me, okay?"

It was agony to hear her say those things about me, to know that I meant so much to her, all the while wrapped up in such grief and pain. I wanted her to love me simply and easily, without burdens attached.

"Very well," I agreed. She reached up to kiss me, and I put my hand on her warm cheek.

"Night, Bill," she whispered as a tear slid down her cheek. She curled into her side and sighed before closing her eyes. Almost immediately, she startled, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. I held her tighter against me, determined to stay with her as long as I could, once again cursing the rising sun.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: All characters are the creation of Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball. The dialog lifted from "Plaisir D'Amour" was written by Mr. Buckner. All the rest of the bits are me. This is the shortest chapter to date, but the next one will be huge, so... well... It's a trade-off. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14 – Night 13

When it was finally time to rise, I did not feel rested. I wished, as I've so often wished, that I was able to be dead until nightfall, as most vampires are. Lorena used to marvel at the vividness of my dreams, just as Caroline did when I was human, but more often than not, they filled my heart with longings for things I could never have, desires of a life that was no longer mine, or a horrible replay of memories I wished I could forget. That day, I'd dreamt of Sookie, of all the things that could've gone so horribly wrong at Fangtasia. First, it was simply not getting to Longshadow in time, and he was able to rip out her throat before I staked him, his blood mixing with hers on the floor. I felt her heart pulse beneath my fingers as I pressed as hard as I dared on her fragile neck to stop the bleeding, watching as the life drained out of her faster than my blood could heal her, until her heart was as silent and dead as mine. In another, once Longshadow opened her artery, Pam and Eric went into a blood-lust driven frenzy, and she was torn to pieces. Again, I was helpless to stop them and had to watch as Pam ripped off her head and sucked the blood from her gaping neck. Finally, just before I woke, it was Eric, whose powerful blood was the only thing that could save her, pushing me aside and turning her, and then she was vampire and forever Eric's, not mine.

I gulped my cold TruBlood before sinking into the couch. The worst of it was that Sookie had lost faith in me. She hadn't said it, of course. It was possible that she hadn't even thought it, not in an articulated sense. But she felt it, and when she felt it, my blood felt it too. I'd tried to protect her from what I was, from the political maneuverings, from all the dangers that she didn't even know existed. I wanted to even protect her from me. In the end, I'd failed her, and she would see how weak I really was. Yes, I was nearly 200 years old and could snap a full-grown tree in half. To her, that seemed impossibly old and strong. But in the vampire-world, my world, I was so young. I was living without a nest, and the one powerful ally I'd always counted on was the one who'd set me up.

I shook my head, pushing thoughts of Eric deep inside me, where he wouldn't be able to feel them if he was paying attention. I couldn't think of Eric. For my safety and hers, I couldn't let him know how hurt I was. His betrayal, more than anything else, shocked me. I expected treachery from vampires. The Queen and Andre had sent me on this impossible mission in the first place. But not Eric. Eric was different, and I simply could not imagine a world where he was capable of such devious calculation, where he'd risk my life to gain a human asset.

I closed my eyes and swallowed several times, burying my nose into the cushion and delighting in the sweet scent of Sookie's blood and arousal. Her smell was everywhere in the house, but especially here, where she'd laid naked in front of the fire and given herself to me. If I lived a thousand years, I would never forget when she gently pulled me back to her, how her hot tongue felt as she first licked one of my fangs...

I couldn't sit here and stew all evening until Sookie got home from work. I didn't want to go to Merlotte's and hover. I couldn't concentrate on my work, and I couldn't focus enough to read, so I decided to set up my Wii, which had been sitting in boxes since I met Sookie. I took a few practice swings before starting a new game. I was doing well, had just hit a hole in one, when the doorbell rang. I shut off the machine, and it rang again before I could answer.

I knew before looking that it was Eric. I know he could hear me, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about that as I sighed when I saw him through the window. My shoulders slumped in defeat, and I took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Eric, Pam," I politely said, nodding at them in turn. I stood back so they could file into my house.

"Bill, Chow. Chow, Bill," Eric said in a bored way.

"Nice to meet you," the unknown vampire said to me. I nodded.

"Chow is Longshadow's replacement," Pam added, and I briefly closed my eyes.

"Oh," I simply said as I closed the door and yet another piece of evidence fell into place. Eric didn't do anything without careful consideration, and he already had a new partner. He may not have known for sure how Longshadow would die, but he knew he would be finally dead. "I take it by your being here there was no way around it, then?"

Eric and Pam looked around, as if my house was infinitely curious, Eric acting like he hadn't been in it last night. "I can't really say," he finally said, not meeting my eyes. "I didn't exactly look into." Pam quietly laughed.

"Tell me," I said to her. "Do you enjoy it? Living half-way up his backside the way you do?"

"Yes," she beamed. "It's nice. You should try it."

I bit back a growl, as threatening Pam only put me in a worse situation. "I'm going to have to stop by the bar where Sookie works first," I told Eric. He glared at me but didn't answer. "She needs to know I'll be gone," I defiantly added. "Don't forget how this started: she came to Fangtasia to help you."

"Fine," Eric said in a calm, bored voice. "Go to the bar."

"Might be smart to check out the competition," Pam said as she toed a small hole in my rug.

"Yes indeed," Eric said.

"What's your game?" Chow abruptly asked.

"Excuse me?" I said as I walked to stand before him, sizing him up.

"You were playing Wii," Chow clarified. "What's your game?"

"Golf," I answered, tossing the controller.

"What's your best score on Pebble Beach?"

"Seven under," I said.

He quickly smiled. "Mine's eleven under."

I rolled my eyes and looked to Eric. "I liked Longshadow better," I said.

Eric smiled and Pam let out a chuckle. "Much too late for that," Eric said. "Let's go."

I grabbed my jacket from the closet in the hall and locked the door behind me. "I'll meet you at Merlotte's," I said to Eric on the porch.

He shook his head. "I think not. Pam'll drive." He nodded to a tan Lexus LX, a vehicle far less conspicuous than any of Eric's. "Get in."

"You think I'll run?" I asked. "You think I would abandon her to save myself?"

He stared down at me. "No," he finally said. "I trust you."

"Then why do I have to ride with you?"

"Humor me," he said. He got into the front passenger seat, and Pam and Chow were already in, which left me in the seat behind Pam. I briefly felt badly for Chow, who was smashed behind Eric's seat, which was pushed all the way back. Pam had the Dixie Chicks playing, and she quietly hummed along as we drove the short distance to Merlotte's.

"Park in the back," I said, and Pam didn't respond, but she pulled around to the back of the building, near Sam's home. I listened carefully, and I heard Sookie speaking to people and the general dim of voices and eating and drinking. "I don't suppose you'll wait for me here?" I asked Eric.

He shifted to face me. "Certainly not. We're all going."

"I don't think that's necessary," I said.

"I do."

"You just don't want me to speak privately to Sookie."

Eric rolled his eyes. "What you say to your human is not my concern."

I sighed before opening the door and walking swiftly towards the front entrance, Eric, Pam, and Chow following like bodyguards. Sookie was looking down at her order pad when we walked in.

"Bill?" she said when she looked up. I immediately felt her confusion and dread when she saw Eric and Pam. "What's going on?"

This place is even more depressing than I thought it'd be," Eric said to Pam, who quietly laughed. In that moment, I hated that she found such amusement in everything around her.

"What are they doing here?" she asked.

"Just give me a minute," I pled. "And then we'll talk. Where's Sam?"

"I don't know," she said. "Why?"

"He," Tara stuttered behind the bar. "He's in his office."

"Try to behave yourself," I said to Eric.

"Don't I always?"

I sighed as Chow stepped behind me, obviously intent on shadowing me, and knocked on Sam's closed door.

"Yeah?" he called.

"It's Bill Compton," I said. "I need a minute of your time, if that's alright."

There was a pause before he finally said, "It's open." I walked in, Chow on my heels. Even this embarrassment would have an audience. "Who's this?" Sam asked.

"His name is Chow," I said, knowing that neither would appreciate an introduction anyway.

"Does he need to be in my office too?"

"Yes," Chow quickly replied.

"I have very little time," I said to Sam before he could ask questions. "So I'll be brief." I sighed. "I've been called away, and I need you to watch over Sookie, protect her, while I'm gone."

Sam snorted and shook his head. "Well, that's just priceless," he said.

"Don't expect her to be too keen on the idea," I said, ignoring his comment. "Sookies hates feeling like she doesn't have her independence."

Sam narrowed his eyes at me and a low rumble escaped from the back of his throat. "I'm really starting to get fed up with you telling me who Sookie is."

"I know," I said, perfectly aware what I was doing, as bold and childish as Sam putting his arm around her in front of me. She reduced me to acting like a boy courting for favor. "And I also know how you feel about her, and I don't like it." We both glared at each other for a moment, and I inwardly sighed because once again I was failing to protect Sookie. Once again, I was putting my trust into a damn shifter who was able to be for her what I could never be: almost human. "But I'm asking you because you're the only one I can ask," I continued. "You're the only person I know of who can protect her in my absence." I didn't add that she needed protection because of me, and Sam was gracious enough to not mention it. "Will you do it?"

Sam looked away. "Of course I will," he said without hesitation, as I knew he would. "But I'm doing it for her, not for you." He walked past me and stared at the shelves of extra liquor in his office.

"Thank you," I simply said, the words sounding hallow and inadequate. I turned, and Chow opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

I'd heard gasps and a little shriek while I was talking with Sam, and I rolled my eyes as I saw Eric commanding the attention of everyone in the room. He was leaned over the table, his face inches away from one of the rednecks who brought garlic to the Decedents of the Glorious Dead meeting.

"I take it you business here is done," he said to me.

"I came to talk to Sookie," I said.

Eric looked at her over my shoulder. "I'll give you three minutes," he said, still looking at her. "I have a Tribunal to get to."

I walked to Sookie, who was leaning against the bar.

"What?" she asked.

"Come with me," I said, steering her out of the bar and into the parking lot. Pam and Chow followed, and I ignored Eric, who was obviously threatening the humans. "I've very little time, but I wanted to tell you that I have to leave tonight, and I don't know when I'll be back," I said to Sookie when we were outside.

"You can't leave," she said.

"I have no choice. I have to go."

"Why?"

It was all I could do to not shake her. "Because I killed a vampire," I said. I watched as Eric, Pam, and Chow closed in, once more ensuring that a private moment was anything but private.

"I know that," Sookie said. "I was there, remember? He was going to kill me. You were defending me."

I glanced over to the three vampires hovering, trying to think of a way of explaining to Sookie without giving away secrets that would get me into more trouble. "If one of you killed another one of you defending once of us, you don't think there would be a trial?" I asked as I silently pushed at our bond so she would understand the danger we were in and accept my leaving without a scene.

"I'll come with you then," she said.

"No!" I snapped. I knew she meant well, but she couldn't be anywhere near the Magister. Not my Sookie, who was entirely too innocent of my world and too precious an asset to risk.

"I can, and I'm going to," she insisted. "I want to testify for you."

I grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her. "Dammit, Sookie," I said. "You can't. You can't come, and you can't testify. You will not be welcome there." A human, even a human claimed by a vampire, would be drained dry so they couldn't reveal the inner-workings of the vampire power-structure. The Magister had not been for our announcement, and he had no desire to mainstream.

She leaned back from me, and I felt her accusation in our bond and saw it in her eyes: I'd failed her. "You lied to me," she said. "You said that everything was going to be okay, but it's not, is it?"

"I honestly don't know," I quietly answered, wishing more than anything that I could tell her something real, something true, something she could count on.

"Tick tock, Bill," Eric said.

"Bill," Sookie pled.

I put my hands on her shoulders and squeezed. "Just look after yourself, alright?" I begged. "I've asked Sam to watch over you." I wanted to weep that the most concrete thing I could give her was a shifter bodyguard who'd just assume I was finally dead so he could claim her.

"I wish you hadn't done that," she replied.

"Be smart, Sookie, and let him," I said. "There's still somebody out there who wants to kill you."

Sookie swallowed back tears and nodded. "Fine," she said. "I will."

"Thank you," I said, my words to her as insignificant as the same ones I'd uttered to Sam.

"And time," Eric said.

I wanted to tell her that I loved her. I wanted to tell her that I faced any danger willingly, that whatever punishment the Magister dispensed was a fair trade for her life. I wanted to tell her everything: why I was sent there and what she made me feel and how there was a part of me that she touched that I thought had died along with my human life. She was a miracle, this woman who stood before me, and she was my path to redemption, to the life I wanted to live. I wanted it to be with her, and for her, and because of her. I wanted to wake every night for the rest of my immortal life with her in my arms.

But I didn't speak those things, not with Eric coolly observing. I didn't speak at all. I crushed her to me and kissed her. Sookie's tears, warm and fragrant against my cheeks, freely fell as she kissed me back. I kissed her as if I might never kiss her again, which only I knew was a possibility. I kissed her to tell her all the things I didn't know how to say out loud, and I prayed to God, if there was a God and if that God was still mine, that she would understand.

I heard the door open, and someone walked out, and I didn't stop kissing her.

"If I had any feelings," Pam quietly said. "I'd have the chills right about now."

"Not me," Eric quickly replied. "Bill," he sharply said. I rested my hand on Sookie's neck, her life pulsing strongly against my fingertips. I leaned in for another kiss, but Eric interrupted. "Now," he demanded. I ran my nose along hers before walking away. I led the group towards Pam's car, not looking behind me, and I was the first one to get in. When Pam drove past the front of the building on the way to the road, Tara was holding Sookie in the parking lot still, and Sam had come out, and I'd never felt so far away.

"It's cozy," Pam said to Eric. "It's warmer than Fangtasia, if you know what I mean. I really like all the animals on the walls. Would it be in poor taste to stuff humans for Fangtasia?"

"Yes," Eric said.

"But they stuff the food they eat and prop it up on the walls. Why can't we? It'd be fun."

"Humans would not find that fun," Eric said. "They would find it…" He paused. "What's the word I'm looking for, Bill?"

"Macabre," I said.

"Yes," Eric said. He turned to Pam. "They would find preserved human bodies on the walls macabre."

She rolled her eyes. "Humans… I think it would be fun. If we ever have a bar just for vampires, I want to do it." Eric smiled, and Pam turned up the music, and we raced into the night.

We drove north, across the state line into Arkansas, and got off the interstate in Texarkana, pulling into a small roadside motel with a flickering "No Vacancy" sign. Weres were standing guard, as well as vampires, when we walked into the lobby to check in. The clerk was obviously glamoured, and we were given keys to a suite on the second floor.

Chow settled into the sofa and clicked on the television, and Pam rolled her eyes at him. "What a bore! I'm going hunting," she said to Eric in Swedish. He nodded his approval, and she walked out. Eric wandered towards the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water came from the closed door. Chow sighed as if greatly pained and turned up the volume on the show, a Discovery Channel program about sharks.

When I walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me, Eric was already under the spray. He popped his head around the glass door and grinned at me.

"You joining me?" he asked.

I walked over and whispered, hoping the sound of the water would prevent our conversation from being overheard. "I am not." He stuck his head back under the water. "What are we doing here?" I asked.

"As I told you last night, as luck should have it, the Magister is passing through. In fact, he's in one of the other suites. I don't know why he couldn't choose a nicer place, but it makes no difference to me. The whole motel is vampires awaiting his judgement tomorrow night."

"It's luck, is it?"

Eric shrugged. "I didn't say it was good luck for you, only luck."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"We need to be here at first dark," he said.

"Let's just go home. Please do not bring him into this."

"It's too late for that, Bill," Eric said. "I told you how to get out of it, and you refused. I've already reported Longshadow's staking. If we didn't have legitimate business, we would not be allowed to stay here. We're expected at first dark tomorrow."

I slapped the glass door of the shower, causing it to rattle. "Damn you, Eric."

"Breaking the shower will not change the course of events," Eric calmly replied.

"You're saying that nothing can now."

Eric shook his head. "Nothing can. I could not help you if I wanted to."

"And you don't want to?"

Eric leaned over me, water dripping from his hair onto my shirt. "I've told you, Bill: there is survival, and there is death. I always choose survival."

"Sookie is not a threat to you. I am not a threat to you…"

"Yes, but it's obviously more than just you happening upon a human telepath. Please don't insult my intelligence."

"Eric," I sighed.

"I asked you to confide in me."

"There's nothing to confide," I said. "And if there were, I couldn't. You should know that."

"You're still a terrible liar," Eric said. "It's one of the things I've always loved about you."

"How can you profess to love me when you've brought me here?" I whispered. "You know what he's capable of. You know what the sentence is."

"Love has nothing to do with this," Eric said. He refused to meet my gaze.

"You set me up."

"So you've claimed," Eric said. "But whether or not I did has nothing to do with your current predicament. You killed a vampire, Bill."

"You were the only one in that room who could've stopped him without killing him," I said. "You left me no choice."

"No," he said. "You are the one who left me with no choice." He shook his hair and smiled at me. "Now, if you're not going to join me, I suggest you spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Tomorrow could be… trying…"

"Fuck you," I said before shutting the bathroom door behind me.


End file.
